Let’s walk! Age reattribution and physical activity among older Hispanic/Latino adults: results from the ¡Caminemos! Randomized trial

Abstract

BackgroundMany older Hispanics/Latinos are physically inactive and suffer the harmful health consequences associated with prolonged periods of inactivity. Negative age attributions that equate getting older with “slowing down” reinforce this inactive behavior. We implemented a community-based exercise intervention among insufficiently active older Hispanics/Latinos with a randomized trial of an attribution-retraining program, ¡Caminemos! (Let’s Walk!), and measured the effect of the program on walking behavior.MethodsFive hundred and seventy-two older Hispanics/Latinos (≥60 years) were enrolled in an exercise program that randomly assigned participants to the exercise class and one of two conditions: (a) treatment (attribution retraining to dispel the notion that physical activity inevitably ceases with age) or (b) control (generic health education). Data were collected at baseline and follow-up (1, 12, and 24 months). Physical activity was determined through pedometer data and the Yale Physical Activity Survey. We also measured the intervention effects on age-expectations, self-efficacy expectations, and outcome expectations for physical activity. Mixed-effects regression models were used to determine intervention effects on prospective measures of physical activity and intrapersonal expectations.ResultsThe sample had a mean age of 73 years (SD = 6.8) and was 77% female, and 76% of the sample reported income <$20,000. At baseline, control and treatment groups walked about 3000 steps/day. By 24 months, participants in both arms of the intervention maintained greater than 10,000 mean steps/day, but the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, education, income, health status, and acculturation, participants in both trial arms increased their mean numbers of steps at 12 and 24 months, with the treatment group showing a greater number of mean steps compared to the controls at 12 months.ConclusionsIn this group of physically inactive older Hispanics/Latinos, attribution retraining in combination with an exercise class was superior to the exercise class alone with regard to increasing walking behavior. This success was sustained at 12 months (the pre-defined primary study outcome) but not at 24 months. For older Hispanics/Latinos, enrollment in an attribution-retraining exercise program can improve an inactive lifestyle.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00183014.

The Influence of Evidence-Based Exercise and Age Reattribution on Physical Function in Hispanic Older Adults: Results From the ¡Caminemos! Randomized Controlled Trial

“…study exposed a sample of older adults to a structured exercise program. Half the group was randomly assigned to a treatment condition which taught that aging does not necessarily coincide with being sedentary and physical declines; instead, such outcomes can be forestalled by being more active (Hernandez et al, 2019; Piedra et al, 2017, 2018). The control group received general health information.…”

“…The control group received general health information. Following the 4-week intervention, participants in the treatment group displayed significant improvements ( p = .05) in their age expectation scores at 12 months (as per the Expectations Regarding Aging [ERA-12] survey; Piedra et al, 2018). Further analysis of the ¡Caminemos!…”

Neurocognitive Performance of African Americans and Hispanic Adults in Relation to Diet and Physical Activity: A Literature Review

“…This study also showed the potential for low-cost activity monitors to provide objective measurements of activity in free-living conditions. Additionally, physically inactive older Hispanics who received attribution retraining in combination with supervised physical activities had better results with regard to increasing walking and maintaining exercise behavior at 12 months [17].…”

Evaluation of Recruitment of Older Adults of Color into a Community-Based Chronic Disease Self-Management Wellness Pathway Program in Los Angeles County

“…Among those participating in CDSMP and Tomando Control, pre-and postchanges in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) 27 were also measured, while among those participating in the Arthritis EBP, level of activity restriction 28 and falls were measured using previously tested instruments. 29 In all groups, self-efficacy was measured at both time-points using the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-item scale. 30…”