Effectiveness of Advanced Stay Strong, Stay Healthy in Community Settings

The goal of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of the 10-week, University of Missouri (MU) Extension strength training program Advanced Stay Strong, Stay Healthy (ASSSH). It was hypothesized that the program can improve strength, balance, agility, and flexibility—all physical measures of falling among seniors. Matched pair t tests were used to compare differences in five physical measures of health, body composition, and percent body fat (%BF). Two-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the age effects on changes in physical health from the start and finish of the exercise program. Following programming, participants significantly improved strength, flexibility, and balance, and significantly reduced %BF (p < .05). Our data indicate that ASSSH can improve the physical health of senior citizens and can successfully be translated into community practice by MU Extension professionals.