The heterogeneity in reported effects was reduced in higher quality studies , when physical activity was self-directed with some professional guidance and when there was on-going professional support .
Our review suggests that physical activity interventions have a moderate effect on self reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness , but not on achieving a predetermined level of physical activity .
Due to the clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the studies , only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of individual components of the interventions .
BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies to enable people to achieve an increase in their physical activity .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions for promoting physical activity in adults aged 16 years and older , not living in an institution .
ACTIVE: a cognitive intervention trial to promote independence in older adults.
The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly ( ACTIVE ) trial is a r and omized , controlled , single-masked trial design ed to determine whether cognitive training interventions ( memory , reasoning , and speed of information processing ) , which have previously been found to be successful at improving mental abilities under laboratory or small-scale field conditions , can affect cognitively based measures of daily functioning . Enrollment began during 1998 ; 2-year follow-up will be completed by January 2002 . Primary outcomes focus on measures of cognitively dem and ing everyday functioning , including financial management , food preparation , medication use , and driving . Secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life , mobility , and health-service utilization .  Trial participants ( n = 2832 ) are aged 65 and over , and at entry into the trial , did not have significant cognitive , physical , or functional decline .  Because of its size and the carefully developed rigor , ACTIVE may serve as a guide for future behavioral medicine trials of this nature
The heterogeneity in reported effects was reduced in higher quality studies , when physical activity was self-directed with some professional guidance and when there was on-going professional support .
Our review suggests that physical activity interventions have a moderate effect on self reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness , but not on achieving a predetermined level of physical activity .
Due to the clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the studies , only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of individual components of the interventions .
BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies to enable people to achieve an increase in their physical activity .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions for promoting physical activity in adults aged 16 years and older , not living in an institution .