The effect of a buddy-style intervention on physical activity in community-dwelling older adults with disabilities: A 24-week follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

To assess the sustained effects of a buddy-style intervention aiming to improve physical activity. A parallel-group, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Three adult day-care centers. Sixty-five community-dwelling older adults with disabilities. All participants received a 12-week home-based exercise program. An intervention group ( The primary outcome was the average daily time spent performing "walking outside home" and "muscle strength exercises" at 24 weeks follow-up post-intervention. Of the 65 participants, one participant in each group dropped out before the program began, 4 and 5 in the intervention and control groups by the 12-week assessment, and 4 and 3 by the 24-week assessment, respectively. Analysis of covariance of the 47 participants who were able to be assessed after 24 weeks revealed that outdoor walking time (min/day) was significantly longer in the intervention group ( The buddy-style intervention increased the duration of outdoor walking, with a sustained effect up to 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.