A new study aims to determine if a standardized exercise video will help motivate seniors in rural communities to be physically active.
Research has shown that being physically active can help prevent illness and disability. In seniors, exercise is associated with better mental health and improved self-confidence. Specifically, strength and balance exercises have been shown to reduce falls, a common and very serious problem in seniors. However, only half of all individuals over the age of 65 in British Columbia are physically active.
By involving seniors in a rural community in British Columbia, Arun Agha, a Master of Science student in Rehabilitation Science at UBC, will study the effect of a strength and balance exercise video on improving exercise participation in community-dwelling seniors. Participants will receive one visit with a physiotherapist who will prescribe specific exercises from the video, and then be asked to use the exercise program for 6 months. Using self-report questionnaires, exercise logs and focus groups, they will explore the challenges to being physically active in this community, and determine whether video-based interventions can help to overcome these difficulties.