Helping Older Adults Become Physically Active

New studies from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) identified exercises that older adults choose and who is most likely to discontinue a training program, reports ScienceNordic . "Information about what older adults prefer enables us to tailor exercise programs to appeal to seniors," says NTNU's Line Skarsem Reitlo. One study published in BMC Geriatrics had some 1,500 participants between 70 and 77 randomly assigned to two exercise groups and a control group; those in the exercise groups performed moderate- or high-intensity training twice weekly, mostly by themselves. "The participants to a great degree managed to practice at the prescribed intensity," Reitlo says. "This is important to know, because it indicates that older people do not need to be monitored to be able to train at high intensity." Walking was the most popular exercise in both groups, representing more than half the activities of moderate-intensity training participants. Another study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise focused on what distinguished the 15 percent of participants who dropped out of the program. Older adults with memory loss and less education had a higher probability of leaving.