Study on efficient intervention frequency of functional fitness promotion program for community-dwelling elderly people part2: Effect of intervention frequency on physical, mental, and social functional capacity

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the intervention frequency and its effects on physical, mental, and social functional capacity using the functional fitness promotion program for community-dwelling elderly people for five months. Physically independent people aged over 60 years were signed up an informed consent for participation to the study as the subjects (133 males.; 70.9 (5.4) yrs, 319 females; 68.8 (5.2) yrs). They were allocated as the cluster due to their residential area into four groups; control group (no intervention, n = 190), LOW group (one time, n = 30), MID group (three times in every one month, n=163), and HIGH group(seven times in every two weeks, n=69). The intervention program was consisted of the home-based exercise program and the facilitating program for exercise adherence and participation. Physical functional capacity of daily living was evaluated by total score of functional fitness composed of physical performance such as sitting and standing, zig-zag walking, hand working, and self-care working. Mental functional capacity was evaluated by geriatric depression scale shorter version (GDS score, 15 items). Social functional capacity was evaluated by total score of social activity such as hobby, exercise, going outdoor, personal relations, senior citizens club activities, volunteer activities, and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) score. Those data from 76 males (57.1% of the total subjects) and 163 females (51.1% of the total subjects) were processed for statistical analysis. Program effectiveness was defined as the difference between pre and post values for each measurement. The results of analysis of covariance showed that the main effect of intervention frequency was significant for functional fitness both in male (p=0.05) and in female (p=0.00) and for GDS in female (p=0.02) after adjusted for pre intervention value. Multiple comparison analysis showed the significant differences in total score of functional fitness between control group and MID group (p=0.00), between control group and HIGH group (p=0.00), and between LOW group and HIGH group (p=0.00) in female. Significant difference was also observed in GDS score between control group and HIGH group (p=0.01) in female. These results indicated that the intervention effectiveness using the program on functional fitness and on depression increased as intervention frequency increased. The same relationship as in above functions, however, was observed neither in total score of social activity nor in TMIG score. In conclusion, the functional fitness promotion program was effective for improving or maintaining physical and, or mental functional capacity in community-dwelling elderly people. The more frequent intervention using this program, the greater effect on physical and mental functions will be observed.