Adverse events in mobility-limited and chronically ill elderly adults participating in an exercise intervention study supported by general practitioner practices.

Objectives: To present detailed adverse event (AE) data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a home-based exercise program delivered to an elderly high-risk population by an exercise therapist after medical clearance from a general practitioner (GP).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: General practitioner practices and participant homes.

Falls and EQ-5D rated quality of life in community-dwelling seniors with concurrent chronic diseases: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Although recommended for use in studies investigating falls in the elderly, the European Quality of Life Group instrument, EQ-5D, has not been widely used to assess the impact of falls on quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of single and frequent falls with EQ-5D rated quality of life in a sample of German community-dwelling seniors in primary care suffering a variety of concurrent chronic diseases and conditions.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, a sample of community-dwelling seniors aged ≥ 72 years was interviewed by means of a standardised telephone interview.

Recruiting hard-to-reach subjects for exercise interventions: a multi-centre and multi-stage approach targeting general practitioners and their community-dwelling and mobility-limited patients.

The general practitioner (GP)'s practice appears to be an ideal venue for recruiting community-dwelling older adults with limited mobility. This study (Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN17727272) aimed at evaluating the recruiting process used for a multi-centre exercise intervention (HOMEfit). Each of six steps resulted in an absolute number of patients (N1-N6).

Reliability of accelerometric measurement of physical activity in older adults-the benefit of using the trimmed sum.

There is general consensus that physical activity is important for preserving functional capacities of older adults and positively influencing quality of life. While accelerometry is widely accepted and applied to assess physical activity in studies, several problems with this method remain (e.g.

Effects of an exercise programme for chronically ill and mobility-restricted elderly with structured support by the general practitioner's practice (HOMEfit) - study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Exercise programmes can be administered successfully as therapeutic agents to patients with a number of chronic diseases and help to improve physical functioning in older adults. Usually, such programmes target either healthy and mobile community-dwelling seniors or elderly individuals living in nursing institutions or special residences. Chronically ill or mobility-restricted individuals, however, are difficult to reach when they live in their own homes.

Barriers to physical activity in older adults in Germany: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Data on barriers to physical activity in older adults in Germany are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyse barriers to physical activity in a cohort of older adults, allowing comparisons between men and women, and age groups.

Methods: 1,937 older adults with a median age of 77 (range 72-93) years (53.

Physical activity patterns in older men and women in Germany: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Data on physical activity in older adults in Germany is scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze physical activity patterns and to explore factors associated with physical activity in different domains, i.e.

General practitioner advice on physical activity: analyses in a cohort of older primary health care patients (getABI).

Background: Although the benefits of physical activity for health and functioning are recognized to extend throughout life, the physical activity level of most older people is insufficient with respect to current guidelines. The primary health care setting may offer an opportunity to influence and to support older people to become physically active on a regular basis. Currently, there is a lack of data concerning general practitioner (GP) advice on physical activity in Germany.