enhancing well-being through exercise during old age

Conditions: Depression; Osteoarthritis

Summary: determine the feasibility of adapting fit \& strong!, an evidence-based group physical activity and health education program, to include affect and mood-related content and of employing this intervention among older adults with a range of depressive symptoms.

the specific aims of this pilot are to use a small randomized controlled trial (rct) with a wait list control design to: 1) determine the feasibility of adapting fit \& strong! to include affect and mood-related content and of employing this intervention among older adults with a range of depressive symptoms. 2) begin to determine whether fit \& strong! is efficacious as an approach for improving positive affect, reducing negative affect, decreasing symptoms of depression, and improving cognition among older adults. 3) explore the relationship between negative/positive affect and symptoms of depression and maintenance of physical activity between baseline and 2 months, in order to determine whether improved positive affect and reduced negative affect and depression and improved cognition are associated with an increase in physical activity.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * ages 60+; * sufficient visual and hearing capacity to follow instructions; * a score of at least 1 on the patient health questionnaire-8 (kroenke et al., 2001); * six item screener (callahan, 2002) score \> 4; * pass screening with the exercise assessment and screening for you (easy) scale \[cardinal et al., 1996\] or have doctor's clearance to participate; * no recent (\<6 months) joint replacements; * physically inactive (\<150 minutes of exercise per week); * able to walk at least 20 feet (with or without the aid of a cane or walker); * speak english proficiently. exclusion criteria: * non-proficient in english; * 0 on the patient health questionnaire-8 (kroenke et al., 2001); * six item screener \< 5 (callahan, 2005); * fail screening with the easy scale and does not have doctor's clearance to participate; * joint replacement in last 6 months; * 150+ minutes of exercise per week; * unable to walk at least 20 feet; * severe medical illness (i.e., metastatic cancer, brain tumors, unstable cardiac, hepatic, or renal disease, myocardial infarction or stroke) within the 3 months preceding the study; * other brain/neurological disorders (i.e., dementia or delirium according to diagnostic and statistical manual (dsm-iv) criteria, history of severe head trauma, parkinson's disease or parkinson's plus syndromes, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy); * conditions often associated with depression (i.e., endocrinopathies other than diabetes, lymphoma, and pancreatic cancer). potential participants for the optional mri component will be excluded for the following: * cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator * metal parts in head, spinal cord, eyes, or chest * past operation or radiation therapy with skull or brain: e) aneurysm clips * dentures that have been surgically implanted with magnets, braces: * claustrophobia: * heart valve replacement: * history of work with metal resulting in an injury: * eye injury with metal: * history of strokes/seizures:

Keywords: physical activity exercise mental health older adults