Yamada T1, Imuta H1
1Tokyo Metropolitan University, Graduate School of Human Herlth Scienses, Tokyo, Japan
Background: Unlike the health enhancement program for the elderly, adequate community-based health-enhancing exercise programs for persons with physical handicaps and frail elderly are lacking. Thus, we have developed a 10-minute exercise program aimed at (i) the maintenance and improvement of pulmonary function for prevention of pneumonia; (ii) relieving dependent edema; (iii) providing prophylaxis against stiff shoulder and lumbago; and (iv) maintenance of joint function. This exercise can be performed with a caregiver even if the patient cannot voluntarily move the limbs. This exercise was developed in 2007. It is now conducted regularly at six venues in the city, with >100 participants.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 5-year participation in the program.
Methods: Pulmonary function, foot circumference, symptoms of stiff shoulder and lumbago (visual analog scale [VAS]), time per day spent working in a wheelchair, time spent sleeping, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by Short Form-8 were evaluated twice a year. Findings were compared between the first test at initiation of the program and 10th test >60 months later. The effect was inspected in the subgroup of wheelchair users (14 subjects; W/C group) and ambulant persons (11 subjects; AP group).
Results: At the initial evaluation, the mean age and time per day working in a wheelchair were respectively 59.1 years and 11.1 h in the W/C group and 72.2 years and 0 h in the AP group, all of which were significantly different (p 0.05). No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of sex (6 men and 8 women vs 3 men and 8 women) and height (151.8 vs 155.6 cm). The %forced vital capacity (%FVC; %), %forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%FEV1.0; %), and %peak expiratory flow (%PEF; %) at the initial evaluation in the W/C and AP groups were 81.6% and 73.6%, 79.4% and 101.3%, and 96.5% and 100.9%, respectively. All the differences were not significant.
Regarding the effect of participation in the program for 5 years, in the combined analysis of the W/C and AP groups, no significant differences in all the measured values were found in the comparison of the results of the first and 10th tests.
In the W/C group, %FEV1.0 (%) significantly improved (95.8%) from that at the initiation of the program (79.3%; p 0.05). In the AP group, the VAS score for lumbago in the 10th test was 3.36, which was significantly greater than that at initiation of the program (1.46; p 0.05).
Conclusion(s): The items that showed that respiratory function improved over the 5-year course. The respiratory function and HRQOL scores tended to decrease with aging; therefore, we believe that the result that no change occurred in 5 years indicates the long-term effect of exercise participation.
Implications: Community-based health-enhancing exercise programs to maintain or improve the pulmonary function of patients with physical handicaps and frail elderly should be further investigated.
Keywords: Pulmonary function, frail elderly, HRQOL
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP24500902
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 5-year participation in the program.
Methods: Pulmonary function, foot circumference, symptoms of stiff shoulder and lumbago (visual analog scale [VAS]), time per day spent working in a wheelchair, time spent sleeping, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by Short Form-8 were evaluated twice a year. Findings were compared between the first test at initiation of the program and 10th test >60 months later. The effect was inspected in the subgroup of wheelchair users (14 subjects; W/C group) and ambulant persons (11 subjects; AP group).
Results: At the initial evaluation, the mean age and time per day working in a wheelchair were respectively 59.1 years and 11.1 h in the W/C group and 72.2 years and 0 h in the AP group, all of which were significantly different (p 0.05). No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of sex (6 men and 8 women vs 3 men and 8 women) and height (151.8 vs 155.6 cm). The %forced vital capacity (%FVC; %), %forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%FEV1.0; %), and %peak expiratory flow (%PEF; %) at the initial evaluation in the W/C and AP groups were 81.6% and 73.6%, 79.4% and 101.3%, and 96.5% and 100.9%, respectively. All the differences were not significant.
Regarding the effect of participation in the program for 5 years, in the combined analysis of the W/C and AP groups, no significant differences in all the measured values were found in the comparison of the results of the first and 10th tests.
In the W/C group, %FEV1.0 (%) significantly improved (95.8%) from that at the initiation of the program (79.3%; p 0.05). In the AP group, the VAS score for lumbago in the 10th test was 3.36, which was significantly greater than that at initiation of the program (1.46; p 0.05).
Conclusion(s): The items that showed that respiratory function improved over the 5-year course. The respiratory function and HRQOL scores tended to decrease with aging; therefore, we believe that the result that no change occurred in 5 years indicates the long-term effect of exercise participation.
Implications: Community-based health-enhancing exercise programs to maintain or improve the pulmonary function of patients with physical handicaps and frail elderly should be further investigated.
Keywords: Pulmonary function, frail elderly, HRQOL
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP24500902
Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing; Older people
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Ethics committee: The ethics committee
Ethics number: 13042
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
