Rachel B. Seymour, MS, Susan L. Hughes, DSW, and Lourdes C. Molina, MPH. Center for Research on Health and Aging, University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 400 (MC 275), Chicago, IL 60607, 312-413-9834, rseymo1@uic.edu

Increased physical activity (PA) by older adults is an urgent national public health goal. However, little is presently known about the quality of PA programming for older adults in community-based settings, or whether the programs produce a health benefit for participants. We conducted a national competition to identify 10 best practice sites in physical activity programming for older adults, and identified three sites to participate in an impact study. The impact study will answer the question, “Do best practice physical activity programs provided by community-based organizations have a measurable impact on the health and well-being of participants?” in addition to providing considerable information on recruitment and retention methods, adherence patterns, and maintenance of program fidelity. We plan to use a randomized trial to answer these questions. Data will be collected at baseline, 3 and 9 months on 750 participants (125 treatment, 125 control per site) through in-person interviews. Measures will include upper and lower body strength, aerobic function, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy for exercise and self-efficacy for exercise adherence. The primary criteria for site selection were the strength and representativeness of the activity program, capacity for participation in a large scale, longitudinal study, interest, and heterogeneity with respect to provider type. We will present qualitative data gathered through the site selection process that provides insight into the development, implementation and maintenance of high quality community-based, physical activity programming for older adults, and preliminary findings on study recruitment and implementation issues.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List the criteria used to select best practice older adult physical activity programs.
• Discuss the design, methods, and measures used to examine the research question, “Do best practice physical activity programs provided by community-based organizations have a measurable impact on the health and well-being of participants?”
• Discuss issues involved in maintaining intervention fidelity across sites and in recruiting and enrolling sedentary older adults in a multi-site PA trial.

Keywords: Evidence Based Practice, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.