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Volume 2: No. 2, April 2005
SPECIAL TOPICS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH: FEATURED
ABSTRACT FROM THE 19TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHRONIC DISEASE
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
Eliminating Disparities in Communities of Color Through the
Lifetime Fitness Program
Susan Snyder, Basia Belza
Suggested citation for this article: Snyder S, Belza B.
Eliminating disparities in communities of color through the
Lifetime Fitness Program [abstract]. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2005 Apr
[date cited]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2005/
apr/04_0142j.htm.
PEER REVIEWED
Track: Evidence-based Programs: Research, Translation,
and Evaluation
The objective of this study was to convey lessons learned
about factors that contribute to sustainable and effective group
fitness programs for older adults in ethnic communities.
The University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center
conducted focus groups with older adults from seven cultural
groups (American Indian/Alaska Native,
African American, Chinese, Korean, Spanish-speaking Latinos, Filipinos, and
Vietnamese) to generate ideas for programming that would increase
the level of physical activity in these communities. After focus
group results were compiled and published, an evidence-based
group exercise program for older adults — the Lifetime
Fitness Program (LFP) — was implemented in 11 focus-group
communities that also had
a nutrition program. The 11 communities were located in Texas and western and
central Washington.
The LFP was designed by researchers and
specialists in aging at the University of Washington in Seattle as an
easy-to-implement fitness program aimed directly at older adults. Average age of
participants at all LFP sites (N = 3258) is 74.3 years (SD ± 8.7). The program is offered in hourly sessions two to
three times per week and includes strength, endurance, balance, and
flexibility exercises. LFP Testing of
Function for each participant is conducted at enrollment and
every four months thereafter.
Focus group findings showed that both the key motivator and primary barrier
for physical activity were related to health and chronic conditions. Ideal
fitness program components that were common across the groups were programs that
included peer support and instruction, were offered in locations close to where
attendees lived and in a center that was targeted to
their ethnicity, and included several options for exercising
(e.g., alone, in a group). Detailed results of these focus groups
are published in the report Elder Perspectives on Physical Activity: A
Multicultural Discussion.
Preliminary data reported here include 226 LFP participants
from 11 ethnic sites (average age, 72.8 years; SD ± 8.7). Participants had at least one valid
outcomes measure; 27% (n = 62) had four-month follow-up data.
At baseline, percentages of participants below normal limits were the following:
in arm curls, 23% of participants at ethnic sites and 10% at nonethnic sites; in
Up and Go, 68% at ethnic sites, 36% at nonethnic sites; and in chair stands, 30% at ethnic sites and 21% at nonethnic
sites. Normal limits were obtained from published age- and sex-based cut points.
Significant improvement was seen in chair stands and
arm curl repetitions at ethnic sites at four months. At follow-up (n = 62),
percentages of participants below normal limits were the following: arm curls (2%
at ethnic sites, 4% at nonethnic sites), Up and Go (49% at ethnic sites, 29% at
nonethnic sites), and
chair stands (7% at ethnic sites, 12% at nonethnic sites).
Knowledge gained from these focus groups and from the
implementation and evaluation of the LFP can inform future
interventions to better reach ethnic minority communities. A
policy that links senior nutrition sites serving minority
communities to evidenced-based programs such as the LFP may be an
effective way to reduce health disparities. Since this abstract, additional data
have been collected and analyzed.
Coorresponding Author: Susan J Snyder, MS, Director,
Senior Services of Seattle/King County, Senior Wellness Project,
2208 2nd Ave, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98121. Telephone:
206-727-6297. E-mail: susans@seniorservices.org.
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