Content area
Objectives
To test whether older drug users (aged 40 and over) could be recruited to an exercise referral (ER) scheme, to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability and measure the impact of participation on health.
Design
Observational pilot.
Setting
Liverpool, UK.
Participants
(1) 12 men and 5 women recruited to ER. (2) 7 specialist gym instructors.
Outcome measures
Logistic feasibility and acceptability of ER and associated research, rate of recruitment, level of participation over 8 weeks and changes in health.
Results
22 gym inductions were arranged (recruitment time: 5 weeks), 17 inductions were completed and 14 participants began exercising. Attendance at the gym fluctuated with people missing weeks then re-engaging; in week 8, seven participants were in contact with the project and five of these attended the gym. Illness and caring responsibilities affected participation. Participants and gym instructors found the intervention and associated research processes acceptable. In general, participants enjoyed exercising and felt fitter, but would have welcomed more support and the offer of a wider range of activities. Non-significant reductions in blood pressure and heart rate and improvements in metabolic equivalents (METs; a measure of fitness) and general well-being were observed for eight participants who completed baseline and follow-up assessments. The number of weeks of gym attendance was significantly associated with a positive change in METs.
Conclusions
It is feasible to recruit older drug users into a gym-based ER scheme, but multiple health and social challenges affect their ability to participate regularly. The observed changes in health measures, particularly the association between improvements in METs and attendance, suggest further investigation of ER for older drug users is worthwhile. Measures to improve the intervention and its evaluation include: better screening, refined inclusion/exclusion criteria, broader monitoring of physical activity levels, closer tailored support, more flexible exercise options and the use of incentives.
Details
1 Centre for Public Health Research Directorate, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
2 North Wales Organisation for Randomised Trials in Health (and Social Care), Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, UK
3 Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
4 Department of Health Services Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
5 Department of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
6 School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK