Effect of Exercise and/or Fitness Education on Fitness in Older, Sedentary, Obese Women

This paper reports on fitness changes in sedentary, obese ( M BMI = 32.0 kg/m 2 ), 60- to 70-year-old women following 4 months of exercise-based intervention. One hundred eighty-two women were randomly assigned to the following groups: health and fitness education (ED) ( n = 70), health and fitness education combined with aerobic training (EX) ( n = 76), and control (CO) ( n = 36). Pre- and postintervention assessments included predicted VO 2 max, body composition, resting blood pressure, muscular strength, and flexibility. Significant improvements in aerobic power (31.9%, p < .001), percent body fat (−5.4%, p < .05), and dominant hand-grip strength (4.1%, p < .001) were found in EX compared to ED and CO. Also observed was a significant improvement in flexibility for both EX (13.8%) and ED (12.5%, p < .01) compared to CO. Ninety percent ( n = 164) of the women adhered to the program. Program factors contributing to adherence are discussed.