Effects of a DVD-delivered exercise intervention on maintenance of physical activity in older adults

Background: Previous research supports the efficacy of a 6-month DVD-delivered program for enhancing physical activity (PA) in older adults. In the current study, we examined the degree to which intervention-related increases in PA were maintained after a 6-month, no-contact follow-up. Methods: Follow-up assessments of PA via accelerometry and the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) were collected in a sample of older adults (N = 238). Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to examine changes in PA over the course of the follow-up period. Results: For accelerometer measured PA, there was a significant time × treatment × age group interaction, F₁,203 =11.319, P = .001, η² = .053, such that younger (≤70 years) intervention participants maintained high levels of PA across the follow-up period, while PA in older intervention and young control participants declined significantly. Rates of PA in older control participants remained low over the course of the follow-up period. Analyses of GLTEQ scores revealed similar, though less significant patterns. Conclusions: DVDbased exercise programs may be effective for maintaining PA in younger members of the older adult population; however, there remains a need to develop better strategies for promoting PA maintenance in older individuals when using home-based designs.