ArticleEffects of arthritis exercise programs on functional fitness and perceived activities of daily living measures in older adults with arthritis1☆,
Section snippets
Participants
Subjects were recruited via newspaper advertisements and flyers to area physicians, Young Men’s Christian Association centers, and various agencies for aging. Eligibility criteria for this investigation were men or women between the ages of 60 and 79 years, a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis from either a rheumatologist or an orthopedic physician, no medical condition precluding increased physical activity, no involvement in an organized exercise program in the past 3 months,
Reliability and treatment effect size measures
The ICCs for the hand-held dynamometry isometric measures of shoulder and hip abduction tests for all 3 subject groups yielded high reliability for both test sessions, with all reliability estimates between .95 and .99. The ω2 values calculated to determine the relative magnitude of the treatment effect of each of the dependent variables indicated a “large” effect for 10 of the 12 dependent variables measured (table 2).
Normative values
A 1-way ANOVA on the physical characteristics of the subjects indicated no
Discussion
Reliability of the hand-held dynamometry tests for this investigation was high (ICC range, .95–.99). The ICCs obtained in this investigation were similar to values (ICC range, .84–.99) obtained in 2 earlier studies11, 18 on older adults with arthritis using similar protocols. The reliability indices obtained in this investigation further document the use of hand-held dynamometry as a reliable method for assessing strength in persons with arthritis.
The ω2 analyses used on the dependent measures
Conclusion
The data in this investigation indicate that both NAF aquatic and on-land exercise programs are effective in promoting increases in functional fitness and ADL measures for older adults with arthritis. Although these increases may result from the physical activities practiced within each program, further study into the effects of the educational and social components of these programs may be warranted.
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Supported in part by the University Personnel Development Committee, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and the Wisconsin Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.
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No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.