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Strong-For-Life

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Strong-For-Life program is a home-based strengthening exercise program for sedentary older adults with some degree of physical disability. The program was designed by physical therapists to help improve strength, balance, and overall health, targeting muscles that are important in every day movements such as walking or getting out of a chair. The program consists of a 35-minute video program including a warm up, 11 exercise routines, and a cool down. The exercises are performed in a seated or standing position using elastic resistance bands of varying thickness, and can be modified to suit different strength levels. Participants are instructed perform the program 3 times a week, and to increase resistance when they can perform 10 repetitions of each exercise without fatigue.

Goal / Mission

The goal of Strong-For-Life home-based exercise program is to promote activity and reduce disability among older adults.

Impact

Home-based resistance exercise programs designed for older persons with disabilities hold promise as an effective public health strategy.

Results / Accomplishments

Strong-For-Life was evaluated using a randomized, controlled trial comparing the intervention group to a control group over a six month period. Participants in the program had a high adherence rate, completing 89% of the recommended exercise sessions. Members of the intervention group had significant improvements over the control group in hip extension, hip abduction, and shoulder abduction (p's < 0.05). When compared to the control group, participants in the intervention improved lower extremity strength by 6-12%, improved tandem gait by 20%, and reduced physical and overall disability by 15-18%.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Boston University School of Public Health
Primary Contact
Alan M. Jette, PhD, PT
Boston University
715 Albany St Talbot Building
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 638-1985
ajette@bu.edu
http://sph.bu.edu/index.php?option=com_sphdir&INDE...
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Older Adults
Organization(s)
Boston University School of Public Health
Source
American Journal of Public Health
Date of publication
Jan 1999
Date of implementation
Nov 1994
Location
Boston, MA
For more details
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/89/1/...
Target Audience
Older Adults

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Related Content for: Strong-For-Life

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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