SISTERS IN MOTION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A FAITH-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTION. Duru OK, Sarkisian CA, et al: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2010:58 (October) 1863-1869.
BACKGROUND: We know that exercise benefits our health, but an effective exercise and health improvement program can be difficult to find. Elderly African-American women were the focus of this study because only a few of these programs have been utilized for this population.
OBJECTIVE: To show that a faith-based exercise intervention program has both utility and success in improving outcomes for elderly African-American women.
DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.
METHODS: All of the participants were African-American women, who, at the beginning of the study, could not walk without a walker and walked less than 30minutes 3 times a week. After enrolling, baseline blood pressures, pain scores, and weights were recorded. Participants were given a pedometer to record the number of steps walked. Two groups were created, the intervention group and the control group. Both groups received 45 minutes of exercise as well as weekly lectures, but only the intervention group participated in the faith-based curriculum, which included 8 weeks of scripture reading, group prayer, weekly goal setting, teaching on overcoming barriers, and a prize for the most steps walked for each week. The women were followed monthly after the first 8 weeks.
PARTICIPANTS: 62 participants, 60 years of age and from3 different Los Angeles churches, were included.
RESULTS: At the 6-month follow-up point, the intervention group had increased their walking activity by 3 miles per week compared to the control group. They also had a significant decrease in their systolic blood pressure.
CONCLUSIONS: A faith-based exercise program that utilizes goal setting and teaches strategies to overcome barriers to physical activity improved physical activity and blood pressure control in elderly African-American women.
KEVIN’S COMMENTS: Wellness is not just the health of our bodies, but the health of our minds, hearts, and souls as well. This study demonstrated that spiritual support and cognitive stimulation, as well as incentives to enhance motivation, helped overcome barriers to participation and resulted in increased physical activity levels. Another benefit was a reduction in blood pressure. This study reinforces the health benefits of programs that support multiple dimensions of wellness.
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