The effect of simple exercise program after intervention on physical functioning, physical activity and self-efficacy in older Japanese women: Comparison of home- and community-based interventions

We examined the effects of a 3-month home- and community-based exercise intervention program, including a simple exercise program, on the physical function, physical activity, and self-efficacy of older Japanese women, and conducted a 6-month follow-up for exercise adherence. The simple exercise program consisted of squatting and standing on one leg. Participants were randomly divided into home- (n = 24, aged 70.3 ± 1.8 years) and community-based (n = 25, aged 70.2 ± 1.8 years) exercise groups. The home-based exercise group performed a simple daily exercise program and received a home instruction visit every two weeks. The community-based exercise group attended an exercise intervention consisting of a simple exercise program, enjoyable exercise, rhythmic and balance exercises, forward lunges, and calf raises others every two weeks. Following the intervention, both groups were instructed to perform the simple exercise program at home. An analysis of variance indicated that the 30-second Chair Stand Test, maximum step length, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, standing on one leg, physical activity, and self-efficacy in both groups improved significantly after the interventions. The results of the 6-month follow-up indicated that physical function and self-efficacy were maintained until 3 months post-intervention, and physical activity and TUG were maintained until 6 months post-intervention in the home-based exercise group. However, these had decreased significantly after 3 months post-intervention in the community-based group. The frequency of simple exercise by the home-based exercise group was higher than that of the community-based exercise group (3.9 vs. 2.6 times/week). The significant decrease of frequency was observed to occur 2 months later for both groups, and there were no significant differences between 3 and 6 months. Therefore, these results suggest that the simple exercise intervention program was effective for exercise adherence among the home-based exercise group but not for the community-based exercise group.