Moderators of physical activity and healthy eating in an integrated community-based intervention for older adults.
An integrated community-based intervention was developed to stimulate physical activity (PA) and healthy eating in older adults in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area. This study aims to assess whether its short-term effects among older adults vary by sociodemographic, psychosocial and health-related variables.



The study was a controlled pre-post quasi-experimental design (intervention condition n = 430; control condition n = 213), with a baseline measurement and a 9-month follow-up measurement. The intervention consisted of a local media campaign and environmental approaches. Changes in PA and fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) were dependent variables assessed at 9-month follow-up. Sociodemographic, psychosocial and health-related variables at baseline were tested as potential moderators of the effects of the conditions.



We found different types of moderators in particular for transport-related PA and FVC. Regarding sociodemographic characteristics, gender was a moderator for household-related PA, and educational level for transport-related PA and FVC. Self-efficacy, as a psychosocial variable, was a moderator of transport-related PA and vegetable consumption. Concerning health-related outcomes, baseline levels of transport-related PA and fruit consumption were moderators for transport-related PA and fruit consumption. If adjusted for multiple testing, only three moderators persisted: educational level regarding vegetable consumption, and baseline levels regarding transport-related PA and fruit consumption.



The effects of the community intervention vary somewhat by sociodemographic, psychosocial and health-related variables. The intervention seems to be especially beneficial to those who are most in need of more PA and healthy eating.
1 Department of Health Sciences, Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands k.a.luten@umcg.nl.
Karla A
KA
Luten
2 Department of Social Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Arie
A
Dijkstra
1 Department of Health Sciences, Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Sijmen A
SA
Reijneveld
1 Department of Health Sciences, Community & Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Andrea F
AF
de Winter
D000368:Aged; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D000072001:Diet, Healthy / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011203:Poverty; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors