The intervention study to increase physical activity among the sedentary elderly in the community

2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 13557031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 展開研究
• Research Field: Public health/Health science
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: TSUJI Ichiro Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Professor, 大学院・医学系研究科, 教授 (20171994)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SAGAWA Koichi Hirosaki University, School of Technology, Associate Professor, 理工学部, 助教授 (30272016) ; NAGATOMI Ryoichi Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Professor, 大学院・医学系研究科, 教授 (20208028)
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2003
• Keywords: Physical activity measurement / Energy consumption / Community-dwelling elderly / Exercise training / Lifestyle intervention / Locomototive function / Health promotion / Disability prevention

Research Abstract

We developed an instrument to continuously monitor physical activity of the individuals at daily life, and we also developed and implemented an exercise training program for the frail elderly subjects living in the community.
1)Development of an instrument to continuously monitor physical activity at daily life
With application of both an accelerometer and a barometer, we developed a new instrument to continuously monitor physical activity of the individuals at daily life, named as "Intelligent Calorie Counter : ICC". An accelerometer is designed to be sensitive to three dimension of human movement (vertical-lateral-anteropostal). A borometer is useful in distinguishing whether an individual is moving at flat ground, upward (e.g., ascending the stairs), or downward (e.g., descending the stairs). As compared with conventional instrument for physical activity measurement, this ICC was proved to be more accurate and sensitive.
2)Exercise training program for the frail elderly subjects living in the community
The purpose of this training program was two-fold ; improvement of motor function and promotion of physical activity in daily life. We recruited the frail men and women aged 70 years and over living at the Tsurugaya District of Sendai City. Out of 86 eligible subjects, we randomly allocated 43 subjects into the intervention group and the remaining 43 subjects into the control group. The subjects at the both groups participated in 2-hour session of exercise training once a week for 6 months. The subjects at the intervention group further participated in a lifestyle intervention in which an instructor guided the subjects how to increase their physical activity levels in daily life. The results indicated that, after the intervention, the mean physical activity level increased in the intervention group but decreased in the control group. We would follow up the subjects in order to examine whether the increased physical activity in the intervention group would continue.