Session Information
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Session Title: Annual Assembly Late Breaking Posters (Non Presentations)
Session Time: 11:15am-12:45pm
Location: Research Hub - Kiosk 8
Disclosures: Jose A. Restrepo, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To evaluate whether individuals participating in a 12-week physical activity program (after exhausting physical therapy benefits) will demonstrate improved clinical outcomes related to physical and mental health up to 1 year after completing the program.
Design: Prospective pre-post study.
Setting: Medical centers in South Florida.
Participants: 145 subjects, 121 of whom completed the program and a follow-up questionnaire at 12 weeks, and 95 who also completed a questionnaire at 1 year post-intervention.
Interventions: Individuals over age 65 with osteoarthritis participated in a 12-week physical activity program designed to improve flexibility, strength, and endurance. Each one-hour session consisted of a warm-up, cardiovascular exercises, strengthening exercises, and a cool-down/stretch period. The intervention was held in a group setting to provide psychosocial support as well as physical activity for the patients.
Main Outcome Measures: Patient-reported: physical and mental Healthy Days (HD), pain and fatigue, balance, falls, and mood. Clinician-reported: BMI, blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, pain.
Results: Statistically significant (P<.01) improvements in HD; physical HD 19.71 at baseline (BL), 24.82 at 12 weeks, and 27.35 at 1 year; mental HD 23.93 at BL, 27.42 at 12 weeks, and 29.04 at 1 year. Less pain and fatigue, improved balance and fall scores, and improved PHQ-9 mood score (all P<.01 vs BL at 12 weeks and 1 year). No significant changes in BMI, blood pressure, or hemoglobin A1c.
Conclusions: This physical activity program produced significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes related to overall health, pain, fatigue, balance/falls, and mood. Neither improvements nor declines were observed in body mass or laboratory results, demonstrating sustained clinical measures in this aging population. Study results support expansion of such a program to reach a larger population of seniors with osteoarthritis.
Level of Evidence: Level IV
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Restrepo JA, ARNP GC, Li Y, Dye JT, Worley K. Evaluation of a 3-month Physical Activity Program for Seniors with Osteoarthritis [abstract]. PM R. 2019; 11(S2)(suppl 2). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-a-3-month-physical-activity-program-for-seniors-with-osteoarthritis/. Accessed May 17, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2019
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-a-3-month-physical-activity-program-for-seniors-with-osteoarthritis/