Moderate Physical Activity Can Improve Mobility in Elderly Obese Individuals

Moderate-intensity physical activity can reduce the risk of major mobility disability (MMD) in older obese adults, a recent study showed.

In the United States, nearly 13 million adults ages 65 years or older are obese. Both overall obesity and abdominal obesity increase risk of MMD.
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In the 2-year Lifestyle Interventions and Independents for Elders (LIFE) Study, the researchers aimed to assess how physical activity intervention impacts risk of MMD in participants across different obesity classifications. A total of 1635 sedentary men and women ages 70 years to 89 years were randomly assigned to moderate-intensity physical activity or a health education program. MMD was determined over a median follow-up of 2.6 years.

Participants were categorized into 4 different subgroups: non-obese (n = 437), non-obese with high waist circumference (n = 434), class 1 obesity (n = 430), and class 2 + obesity (n = 312). The researchers defined MMD as the inability to walk a quarter of a mile without aid from a walker or another person.

The physical activity program focused on walking, strength, balance, and flexibility training. Participants attended 2 in-center training sessions weekly and also engaged in physical activities at home 3 to 4 times per week.

The health education program hosted in-person group workshops that focused on topics related to aging, such as nutrition, safety, and legal and financial issues. Each session featured lectures, interactive discussions, and 5 to 10 minutes of upper body stretching exercises.

Additionally, an obesity-by-prevention interaction was tested via Cox proportional hazard modeling.

Results indicated that participants in the class 2 + obesity group had the largest benefit from physical activity intervention, reducing their risk of MDD by 31%. However, the researchers found no significantly statistical difference across the different groups in terms of benefit.

“A structured [physical activity] program reduced the risk of MMD even in older adults with extreme obesity,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Kritchevsky SB, Lovato L, Handing EP, et al. Exercise’s effect on mobility disability in older adults with and without obesity: the LIFE study randomized clinical trial. Obesity. 2017;25(7):1199-1205. doi: 10.1002/oby.21860.