Implementation of a Community Walking Program (Walk On!) for Functionally-Limited Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Walking interventions improve physical function, reduce fall risk, and prevent mobility disability-even in those with compromised walking ability. However, most prior studies have been conducted in controlled research settings, with no dissemination of an evidence-based walking program for older adults who have mobility limitations and/or are socially isolated. OBJECTIVES: This study reports data on the feasibility and acceptability of a community-based walking program (Walk On!) for older adults who are functionally limited, and assesses changes in physical function among attendees. The program sessions focused on long-distance walking, and took place for one-hour, for two days/week, and for 12 weeks at a time. DESIGN: Pilot implementation study. SETTING: Local church in Winston-Salem, NC. PARTICIPANTS: 49 program participants; Measurements: Physical function battery and satisfaction survey data, as well as formative evaluation data from six attendees of a focus group, are reported. RESULTS: The majority of the participants were >75 years (71%), female (65%), and presented with low levels of physical function (usual gait speed=0.79±0.16; 30.6% used an assistive device). Satisfaction with the program was high (100% would recommend it to others) and focus group results were overwhelmingly positive. Mean attendance to scheduled sessions was 77%±21%, and 63% of participants attended at least 75% of scheduled sessions (n=8 attended 100%). On average, participants improved their 6-min walk distance by 8.9%, their SPPB score by 15.4%, their timed-up-go time by 9.0%, and their usual gait speed by 11.4%. CONCLUSION: The results of the initial evaluation of Walk On! show high feasibility and acceptability of the program, as well as efficacy for improving physical function. Further research is needed to evaluate a delivery method for wider implementation of the program and to definitively test its effectiveness for improving function and other health benefits.

Legacy effects of short-term intentional weight loss on total body and thigh composition in overweight and obese older adults.

OBJECTIVE: Weight regain following intentional weight loss may negatively impact body composition, accelerating fat regain and increasing risk of physical disability. The purpose of this study was to compare long-term changes in whole body and thigh composition in obese older adults who intentionally lost and then partially regained weight to obese older adults who remained weight stable. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This pilot study analyzed total body (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)) and thigh (computed tomography (CT)) composition data collected from 24 older (65-79 years) adults 18 months after completion of a 5-month randomized trial that compared resistance training alone (RT) with RT plus caloric restriction (RT+CR). RESULTS: Mean loss of body mass in the RT+CR group (n=13) was 7.1±2.4 kg during the 5-month intervention (74% fat mass; 26% lean mass; all P<0.01), whereas RT (n=11) remained weight stable (+0.3±1.8 kg; P=0.64). Differential group effects were observed for all DXA and CT body composition measures at 5 months (all P⩽0.01); however, by 23 months, group differences persisted only for total body (RT+CR: 81.6±10.0 kg vs RT: 88.5±14.9 kg; P=0.03) and lean (RT+CR: 50.8±9.3 kg vs RT: 54.4±12.0 kg; P<0.01) mass. All RT+CR participants regained weight from 5 to 23 months (mean gain=+4.8±2.6 kg; P<0.01). Total fat mass and all thigh fat volumes increased, whereas thigh muscle volume decreased, during the postintervention follow-up in RT+CR (all P⩽0.01). In the RT group, body mass did not change from 5 to 23 months (-0.2±0.9 kg; P=0.87). Decreased total thigh volume, driven by the loss of thigh muscle volume, were the only postintervention body composition changes observed in the RT group (both P<0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term body composition benefits of an RT+CR intervention may be lost within 18 months after completion of the intervention.

Obesity, intentional weight loss and physical disability in older adults.

We examine obesity, intentional weight loss and physical disability in older adults. Based on prospective epidemiological studies, body mass index exhibits a curvilinear relationship with physical disability; there appears to be some protective effect associated with older adults being overweight. Whereas the greatest risk for physical disability occurs in older adults who are ≥class II obesity, the effects of obesity on physical disability appears to be moderated by both sex and race. Obesity at age 30 years constitutes a greater risk for disability later in life than when obesity develops at age 50 years or later; however, physical activity may buffer the adverse effects obesity has on late life physical disability. Data from a limited number of randomized clinical trials reinforce the important role that physical activity plays in weight loss programmes for older adults. Furthermore, short-term studies have found that resistance training may be particularly beneficial in these programmes as this mode of exercise attenuates the loss of fat-free mass during caloric restriction. Multi-year randomized clinical trials are needed to examine whether weight loss can alter the course of physical disablement in aging and to determine the long-term feasibility and effects of combining resistance exercise with weight loss in older adults.