Health care costs and participation in a community-based health promotion program for older adults.

Introduction: EnhanceWellness (EW) is a community-based health promotion program that helps prevent disabilities and improves health and functioning in older adults. A previous randomized controlled trial demonstrated a decrease in inpatient use for EW participants but did not evaluate health care costs. We assessed the effect of EW participation on health care costs.

Developing a Telephone Assessment of Physical Activity (TAPA) questionnaire for older adults.

Introduction: We report on development and preliminary validation of a brief, telephone-based measurement tool for assessing physical activity in older adults. The Telephone Assessment of Physical Activity (TAPA) questionnaire is based on the University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center's Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), a written questionnaire.

Methods: The Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity questionnaire was modified to permit interviewers to administer it as a telephone interview.