Translating Fit and Strong!: Lessons Learned and Next Steps

Frontiers in Public Health

Susan Hughes¹ 

关键词: older adults;    Fit and Strong;    physical activity;    longitudinal studies;    arthritis;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2014.00131

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Fit and Strong! began in 1998. It grew out of the Hughes doctoral dissertation many years ago that examined the impact of a model long-term home care program for older adults. We learned at that time (1981) that arthritis was the most common chronic condition reported by homebound clients and the condition that was most frequently cited by them as interfering greatly with their function. To learn more about this story, we obtained funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a prospective, longitudinal study in Chicago of 600 seniors who were unselected for presence of arthritis at baseline. We found again that arthritis was the most common condition reported and the number one cause of disability (1). We also measured participant joint impairment and conducted an analysis to try to determine which joints were causing the problem. Analyses clearly indicated that osteoarthritis (OA) in the lower extremity joints was the culprit, a scenario that makes sense when considering that people use these large weight bearing joints to perform most activities of daily living such as transferring, climbing stairs, and toileting (2).

【 授权许可】

CC BY