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Vigorous
exercise can help Seniors avoid disability
Newswise — Healthy seniors who are
physically active and exercise for more than
60 minutes each week can lessen their
chances of disability as they age, finds a
new long-term study.
“This study contributes to the large body of
scientific evidence supporting the
importance of continuing to be physical
active over one’s life,” said lead author
Bonnie Bruce, of the division of immunology
and rheumatology at Stanford University
Department of Medicine.
The study appears in the July issue of the
American Journal of Public Health.
The researchers looked at 805 adults between
the ages 50 and 72 at enrollment and
followed for them for 13 years, from 1989 to
2002.
Each year, participants answered survey
questions about their overall health and
vitality and rated themselves on their
ability (or inability) to do tasks such as
dressing, eating and reaching. Responses
fell on a scale from 0 (no difficulty) to 3
(unable to do).
Participants also reported their level of
activity and were considered “active” if
they exercised vigorously — for example,
running, brisk walking, swimming, biking and
hiking — more than 60 minutes per week, or
“inactive” if 60 minutes or less per week.
The researchers then grouped them as
normal-weight active, normal-weight
inactive, overweight active or overweight
inactive, with BMI determining their weight
group.
The normal-weight physically active seniors
reported an average of 303 minutes of
exercise per week, compared with an average
of 16 minutes for normal-weight inactive
seniors.
On the other hand, overweight seniors who
were physically active reported an average
of 251 minutes per week, compared with 12
minutes for the overweight inactive seniors.
After 13 years, the overweight active
seniors (average disability score 0.14) had
significantly less disability than the
overweight inactive (average disability
score 0.19) and normal-weight inactive
seniors (average disability score 0.22)
seniors.
The researchers concluded that being
physically active, regardless of body
weight, helped lessen disability. Bruce said
that public health efforts that promote
physically active lifestyles among seniors
may be more feasible than those that
emphasize body weight to remain healthy.
Brian Martinson, Ph.D., senior investigator
at HealthPartners Research Foundation in
Minneapolis, agreed that “it’s better to be
active than inactive,” but said it’s often
difficult for physicians without specific
training to motivate patients to think of
the long-term health benefits of exercise
and activity.
“Physicians should focus some discussions on
the health benefits of physical activity
because they have the most influence over
their patients’ behavior,” he said.
“However, I’m not sure how motivating the
health benefits are to people. Most people,
unfortunately, exercise because they want to
look good in a dress or suit or want to look
good for a high school reunion. The aim of
decreasing disability long-term may not be
enough of a motivator.”
The American Journal of Public Health
is the monthly journal of the American
Public Health Association. Visit
www.apha.org
for more information.
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