title: Wise Choices: Nutrition and Exercise for Older Adults: A Community-Based Health Promotion Intervention.
abstract: Effective interventions for older adults are needed to address lifestyle behaviors linked to chronic illnesses. We implemented a 12-week group behavioral intervention for 118 racially diverse older adults at 6 community-based senior centers to improve eating and physical activity. Assessments were completed pre- and postintervention, with 85.6% retention. We documented increases in fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake; pace of walking; number of city blocks walked; daily steps walked; functional mobility; and self-rated general health (P < .05). Findings indicate that a relatively low-intensity lifestyle intervention can effectively be implemented for community-dwelling older adults. Further development of this approach is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Drs Turk, Resick, and Kalarchian); and Westat Biostatistics and Data Management Core, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Dr Elci).
authors.forename: Melanie T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.forename: Okan U
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Elci
authors.forename: Lenore K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Resick
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kalarchian
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018673:Nutrition Policy / Q000639:trends*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires