Combined Exercise and Education Program: Effect of Smaller Group Size and Longer Duration on Physical Function and Social Engagement among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

BACKGROUND: Exercise, education, and social engagement are critical interventions for older adults for a healthy life expectancy and to improve their physical function. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a combined exercise and education (CEE) program for improved social engagement and physical function of older adults. DESIGN: Based on a short-term program we conducted in our previous study, in this study, the program was conducted for half the number of participants of the earlier study but for a longer duration. SETTING: A community of older adults in Ami, Japan, was the setting of the study. PARTICIPANTS: 23 healthy older adults >65 years living in the community were the participants in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Five 80-minute sessions conducted once in two weeks comprised 60-min exercise instruction and 20-min educational lectures per session on health. We examined the improvement in physical and social engagement before and after participation. Physical function and health-related questionnaire data were collected before and after the program. RESULTS: Data analysis from 15 participants showed improved physical performance but no effect on social engagement. CONCLUSIONS: A higher program frequency, rather than program duration, may be vital to improving exercise performance and social engagement and maximizing the effects of high group cohesion in small groups. Further studies are needed to develop more effective interventions to extend healthy life expectancy.