Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of peers to deliver programs or encourage older people to be physically active and improve physical outcomes. Peer reviewed articles published in English between January 1976 and June 2016, retrieved from six...

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Main Authors: Burton, Elissa, Farrier, Kaela, Hill, Keith, Codde, J., Airey, P., Hill, Anne-Marie
Format: Journal Article
Published: Routledge 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53501
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author Burton, Elissa
Farrier, Kaela
Hill, Keith
Codde, J.
Airey, P.
Hill, Anne-Marie
author_facet Burton, Elissa
Farrier, Kaela
Hill, Keith
Codde, J.
Airey, P.
Hill, Anne-Marie
author_sort Burton, Elissa
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of peers to deliver programs or encourage older people to be physically active and improve physical outcomes. Peer reviewed articles published in English between January 1976 and June 2016, retrieved from six databases according to the predefined inclusion criteria were included. Where possible results were pooled and meta-analyses conducted. Eighteen articles were included in the review, a total of 3,492 intervention participants, average age 66.5 years and 67.1% were female. Overall, study quality was medium to high. Interventions mainly included resistance, flexibility and cardiovascular training, however there was one aquatic exercise group. Eight studies were delivered by peers and five utilised peer support, which included advice and being positive but was not directly linked to an exercise intervention. While 16 of the 18 studies reported improvement in levels of physical activity and/or noted physical benefits by peer involvement, the meta-analyses findings supported the control groups for the six-minute-walk-test and the timed-up-and-go test. Findings from this review suggest exercise programs involving peers can promote and maintain adherence to exercise programs. However, results were inconclusive as to whether peers have a positive effect on improving older people’s physical function.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2017
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-535012018-11-30T08:08:20Z Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis Burton, Elissa Farrier, Kaela Hill, Keith Codde, J. Airey, P. Hill, Anne-Marie The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of peers to deliver programs or encourage older people to be physically active and improve physical outcomes. Peer reviewed articles published in English between January 1976 and June 2016, retrieved from six databases according to the predefined inclusion criteria were included. Where possible results were pooled and meta-analyses conducted. Eighteen articles were included in the review, a total of 3,492 intervention participants, average age 66.5 years and 67.1% were female. Overall, study quality was medium to high. Interventions mainly included resistance, flexibility and cardiovascular training, however there was one aquatic exercise group. Eight studies were delivered by peers and five utilised peer support, which included advice and being positive but was not directly linked to an exercise intervention. While 16 of the 18 studies reported improvement in levels of physical activity and/or noted physical benefits by peer involvement, the meta-analyses findings supported the control groups for the six-minute-walk-test and the timed-up-and-go test. Findings from this review suggest exercise programs involving peers can promote and maintain adherence to exercise programs. However, results were inconclusive as to whether peers have a positive effect on improving older people’s physical function. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53501 10.1080/02640414.2017.1329549 Routledge fulltext
spellingShingle Burton, Elissa
Farrier, Kaela
Hill, Keith
Codde, J.
Airey, P.
Hill, Anne-Marie
Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis
title Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis
title_full Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis
title_fullStr Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis
title_short Effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: Systematic review and meta-analysis
title_sort effectiveness of peers in delivering programs or motivating older people to increase their participation in physical activity: systematic review and meta-analysis
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53501