Objective: To assess the preliminary effects of a buddy-style intervention to improve exercise adherence.
Design: A parallel-group, open-label, pilot randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Adult day-care centers.
Participants: Sixty-five disabled older adults.
Interventions: All participants underwent a 12-week home exercise program, and the intervention group received a 5-10 min buddy-style intervention between older adults in the intervention group once weekly at an adult day-care center.
Main measures: Based on the exercise log calendar, the number of days of exercise was assessed for each of the three phases: 1-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, and 9-12 weeks. Short physical performance battery was measured at baseline and after 12 weeks.
Results: Of the 590 screened older adults, 65 were recruited and 33 were assigned to the intervention group. One participant in each group withdrew before the program began, and four and five patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively, dropped out by the 12-week assessment. Analysis of covariance of the 28 and 26 patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively, for whom exercise log calendars could be retrieved, showed that the intervention group (24.4/28 days) exercised significantly more days than the control group (20.6/28 days) at 9-12 weeks (P = 0.009). In the between-group effect of the intention-to-treat analysis of short physical performance battery, walking and standing test (P = 0.790, P = 0.829) were not significantly different, and balance test (P = 0.049) was significantly better in the control group.
Conclusions: There was a preliminary effect of the buddy-style intervention to improve exercise adherence.
Keywords: Buddy; disabled older adult; exercise adherence; home exercise program; physical functional performance.