Sustainable effects of a low-threshold physical activity intervention on health-related quality of life in residential aged care

Abstract

BackgroundMobility is a main issue for health-related quality of life in old age. There is evidence for effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on several dimensions of health for the aged and also, some specific evidence for vulnerable populations, like residents of residential aged care. Research on low-threshold PA interventions for users of residential aged care and documentation of their sustainability are scarce. “Low threshold” implies moderate demands on the qualification of trainers and low frequency of conduct, implying low demands on the health status and discipline of users. Yet the investigation of low-threshold interventions in residential aged care seems important as they might foster participation of users and implementation in everyday routines of provider organizations. An initial study (October 2011 to June 2012) had found intervention effects on health-related quality of life. The objective of this study was to examine sustainability of the effects of a low-threshold PA intervention on health-related quality of life in residential aged care.MethodsData collection took place in three residential aged care homes in Vienna, Austria. At 1-year follow-up (June 2013), participants from the intervention group were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Using general mixed linear models and Friedman tests followed by paired t- and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, we compared outcome measures at follow-up with measures obtained at baseline and at the end of the intervention.ResultsAt the 1-year follow-up assessment, participants’ (mean age 84.7 years; 89.7% female) subjective health status was still significantly increased, equaling a small sustainable intervention effect (Cohen’s d=0.38, P=0.02). In comparison with baseline, a significant decline of reported pain/discomfort (P=0.047) was found. Regarding the subdimensions of health-related quality of life, favorable trends could be observed.ConclusionThe study indicates that effects of a low-threshold PA intervention on health-related quality of life in residential aged care can be sustainable. Addressing hindering factors like poor health status and implementing proactive support and individualization of the program to enable PA for residents might foster sustainability of effects.

EQ-5D in Central and Eastern Europe: 2000–2015

“…Two of them were large European multi-country studies that involved more than one CEE country [45,46]. Overall 152 reports on country level results were obtained: Austria (n=11) [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57], Bulgaria (n=6) [45,46,58,59,13], Czech Republic (n=18) [60,61,45,46,[62][63][64][65][66]20,[67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74], Hungary (n=47) [11,75,76,45,[77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]…”

Older Adult Residents' Perceptions of Daily Lives in Nursing Homes

“…Relationships and interactions with other residents occurred primarily while the participants were engaged in planned NH activities. Therefore, it may be imperative for NH management teams and healthcare providers to develop strategies that include the provision of support in accessing activities and opportunities to participate in them (e.g., low‐threshold group exercise programs), to help NH residents, including those with ambulatory dysfunctions, to engage in activities (Quehenberger, Cichocki, & Krajic, ). In a previous study, older adults in NHs experienced a deep sense of loss and loneliness because of the frequent turnover of nurses in the NHs, as they perceived the relationships with nurses as very important and meaningful in their lives (Chang, ).…”

Health Demands Characteristics and Quality of Life in the Elderly Monitored in the Primary Care

“…Given the prominence of these domains, it has been observed that interventions aimed at the promotion of physical activity during old age present positive results although with low frequency [36].…”