Maintaining Physical Activity in Older Adult MCO Members

体育活动对成年人的好处已经得到了很好的证实，但在美国， 美国尽管有广泛的临床建议， 近年来增加了体育活动。基于临床的增加体力活动的方法是 昂贵、难以在忙碌的实践环境中实现，并且具有有限的范围。此外，证据表明， 这些方法的效力是不明确的。基于人口的方法可能是更有效的， 成本更低的策略，以增加老年人的身体活动水平。体育人口研究 活动表明，每年，许多久坐的老年人开始体育活动，但 几乎同样数量的人变得久坐不动。在老年人中， 只有一半的人在3个月后仍然活跃。 我们假设，一个以人群为基础的方法，强调体力活动的维持， 大幅度增加老年人群体的体力活动水平。这种假设是 在一项为期24个月的随机试验中进行了测试，该试验评估了一种创新的、基于理论的行为干预， 在随机抽样的50-70岁的成年人中保持身体活动，这些成年人最近至少 适度活跃。将一千（1000）例受试者随机分配至两个实验组之一：1） 一个“常规护理”对照组，2）一个互动的基于电话和邮件的干预计划， 保持老年人的身体活动。主要结果指标为：1）体力活动， 评估为kcals/wk消耗; 2）体力活动维持，评估为随访kcals/wk 相对于基线的支出。仔细测量干预措施在井中的穿透程度 将评估老年人的特点和干预措施的成本。社会心理和 此外，亦会研究维持体力活动的行为调节因子。 研究结果将与决策者、健康促进从业人员和健康计划有关， 提供有关干预措施的有效性、人口渗透率和成本的实用信息 旨在最大限度地提高9名老年人的体力活动水平。

The benefits of physical activity for adults are well established, but less than one-third of older adults in the U.S. have achieved recommended levels of physical activity despite widespread clinical recommendations to increase physical activity in recent years. Clinic-based approaches to increasing physical activity are expensive, difficult to implement in busy practice settings, and have limited reach. Moreover, evidence of the efficacy of such approaches is equivocal. A population based approach may be a more effective and less costly strategy to increase levels of physical activity in older adults. Population studies of physical activity have demonstrated that each year, many sedentary older adults initiate physical activity, but a nearly equal number of those who were active become sedentary. Among older adults initiating physical activity, only half continue to be active 3 months later. We hypothesize that a population based approach that emphasizes physical activity maintenance can substantially increase physical activity levels in a defined populations of older adults. This hypothesis is tested in a 24-month randomized trial evaluating an innovative, theory-based behavioral intervention to maintain physical activity in a random sample of 50-70 year old adults who have recently become at least moderately active. One thousand (1000) subjects will be randomized to one of two experimental groups: 1) a "usual care" control group, and 2) an interactive phone- and mail-based intervention program tailored to maintaining physical activity in older adults. The primary outcome measures are: 1) physical activity, assessed as kcals/wk expenditure; and 2) physical activity maintenance, assessed as follow-up kcals/wk expenditure relative to baseline. Careful measurement of the penetration of the intervention into a well characterized older adult population, and the costs of the intervention, will be assessed. Psychosocial and behavioral mediators of physical activity maintenance will also be examined. Study results will be relevant to policy makers, health promotion practitioners and health plans, and will provide practical information on the effectiveness, population penetration, and costs of an intervention designed to maximize population levels of physical activity amon 9 older adults.