Ball State University study finds that health contracts guide older adults into regular exercise
by Anonymous

MUNCIE, Ind.( January 9 2004--Sedentary older adults exercise more by entering into a health contract that combines a fitness regimen with motivation, social support and memory recall techniques, says a Ball State University gerontologist.

A study involving 25 retirees found that in one month, 20 achieved at least 75 percent of their exercise goals and 15 completed all of them.

“The study told us that individuals prefer contracts because the technique establishes their goals and helps them in keeping with the program,” said David Haber, associate director of Ball State’s John and Janice Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology.
The study also found that 19 of the participants reported the motivation, social support and memory recall strategies were helpful to them. Nine people said all three were helpful.

Haber said memory recall techniques are important because they remind a person when its time to exercise. The techniques may include placing a calendar on the refrigerator with exercises highlighted on the appropriate days and leaving walking shoes by the front door or an exercise band in a visible place.

“Of the five people who were unsuccessful in reaching their exercise goals, the most frequent explanations given were insufficient motivation and the inability to overcome existing health problems,” he said.
One person, for instance, reported that she had completed a planned surgery 10 days into her contract, but it took her three weeks to recover as opposed to three days, Haber said.

Haber’s contracts are commonly employed by health professionals to help clients achieve a health behavior goal. The written agreements include special information about how the behavior will be changed.

Such contracts also include a calendar where contracted health behaviors are recorded on specific days of the week and then compared to actual performance to produce a success rate.

Haber’s study empowered the participants to choose among several exercise options and encouraged them to monitor their progress. These techniques are designed to help improve self-confidence, allowing participants to reach their goals.

Among the participants, 16 reported being very satisfied with the results of the health contract, five were somewhat satisfied and four were not satisfied.




This article courtesy of http://www.exercisewithball.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Submit Your Article