Pilot Study to Evaluate Limitations to Participating in an Exercise Program

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The overarching goals of this research are to screen older persons living in the community to identify those who are mobile but at increased risk of future disability, to evaluate limitations to participating in an exercise program, and to describe the kind of exercise program that would be appropriate. Specific questions to be addressed include: 1. What is the effectiveness of a three-level screening and recruitment program that progresses from a telephone screen, to a home evaluation, to a clinic exam?1.What proportion of people who say that they can walk a mile and climb stairs can actually walk 400 meters? 2. What proportion of potentially eligible people (meeting screening criteria below) are already walking for exercise or doing other forms of exercise? 3. What are the diseases, physical impairments, or symptoms that will prevent potentially eligible people from participating in an exercise program or some aspect of the program? 4. Among those who can exercise, what specific exercises can they do and at what level of intensity can they begin these exercises?5.What is the readiness of this group of persons to begin an exercise program and what disease, functional, and psychosocial characteristics are associated with readiness to exercise? We will screen and evaluate study subjects using a 3-stage approach. The subjects for this pilot study are a convenience sample who meet specific criteria. Subjects will be entered into the screening process until 100 have qualified for and completed the full three stages of evaluation.