Is exercise used as medicine?

Is exercise used as medicine? Association of meeting strength training guidelines and functional limitations among older US adults

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Stone Hearth News

  

Prev Med. 2014 May 27. pii: S0091-7435(14)00178-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.05.012. [Epub ahead of print]
Kraschnewski JL1, Sciamanna CN2, Ciccolo JT3, Rovniak LS4, Lehman EB5, Candotti C6, Ballentine NH7.
Author information
1Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States; Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, 500 University Drive, Hershey PA, 17033, United States. Electronic address: jkraschnewski@hmc.psu.edu.
2Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States; Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, 500 University Drive, Hershey PA, 17033, United States. Electronic address: csciamanna@hmc.psu.edu.
3Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th St. New York, NY 10027, United States. Electronic address: ciccolo@tc.columbia.edu.
4Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States; Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, 500 University Drive, Hershey PA, 17033, United States. Electronic address: lrovniak@hmc.psu.edu.
5Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, 500 University Drive, Hershey PA, 17033, United States. Electronic address: elehman@phs.psu.edu.
6Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States. Electronic address: ccandotti@hmc.psu.edu.
7Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, United States. Electronic address: nballentine@hmc.psu.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:

  

To determine the association between meeting strength training (ST) guidelines (≥2 times per week) and the presence of functional limitations among older adults.
METHODS:

  

This cross-sectional study used data from older adult participants (n=6,763) of the National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2011 in the United States.
RESULTS:
Overall, 16.1% of older adults reported meeting ST guidelines. For each of nine functional limitations, those with the limitation were less likely to meet ST recommendations than those without the limitation. For example, 20.0% of those who reported no difficulty walking one-quarter mile met ST guidelines, versus only 10.1% of those who reported difficulty (p<.001). In sum, 21.7% of those with no limitations (33.7% of sample) met ST guidelines, versus only 15.9% of those reporting 1-4 limitations (38.5% of sample) and 9.8% of those reporting 5-9 limitations (27.8% of sample) (p<.001).
CONCLUSION:
Strength training is uncommon among older adults and even less common among those who need it the most. The potential for ST to improve the public’s health is therefore substantial, as those who have the most to gain from ST participate the least.
Source

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