Improving Physical and Psychosocial Well-being of African American Older Adults Living in Rural Areas Through a Community-Based Exercise Program

Among the aging population, African Americans (AA) experience depression and other chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease at a higher rate compared to non-minorities; moreover, those living in rural areas are less likely to seek treatment due to various factors including lack of accessibility, affordability, and acceptability of health care services. Fortunately, non-pharmacologic and cost-effective interventions such as physical activity can yield physical, psychosocial, and cognitive benefits for older adults. The purpose of the proposed research effort is to test the feasibility of, and effect of a community-based physical exercise program among community-dwelling older adults living in rural areas on the physical and psychosocial well-being. The research effort will be a randomized controlled trial. Fifty African American older adults will be recruited from community centers. A total of 50 participants will be recruited. These adults will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group, with each group containing 25 participants. The intervention will occur over a period of eight week. The exercise program will be offered three times a week, with each session lasting one hour. Study measures will be collected prior to the start of the exercise program, after the fourth session, after the last session, and at one-month follow-up. The primary outcome measures for the feasibility study will include enrollment rate, randomization rate, retention rate, and data completion rate. Additionally, the investigators will examine whether there is improvement I both physical and psychosocial measures. All statistical analyses will be conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.