Older
women caregivers slept better and lowered their blood pressure reactivity
in response to stress tests after participating in a moderate exercise
program compared to a group of women who only received nutrition counseling.
Results of the study are scheduled to be published in an upcoming
issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
Caregivers
who exercised 4 times a week showed significant improvements to their
health, according to the results of a randomized study headed by Abby
C. King, Ph.D. at the Stanford University School of Medicine.* This
is the first investigation of the effectiveness of a physical activity
intervention tailored specifically to the needs of caregivers. It
is another in a series of studies on the importance of exercise funded
by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
One
hundred women ages 49 to 82 volunteered to participate in either a
moderate exercise or a nutrition counseling program. Each received
a 30- to 40-minute face-to-face introductory counseling session, with
the remainder of contacts delivered by telephone. The women averaged
72 hours a week caring for demented family members, 63 percent of
whom had Alzheimer's disease. Participants lived with their care recipients
either all the time (92 percent) or most of the time (8 percent) and
had spent an average of 4 years caring for their impaired relative.
Each
week, 51 women in the exercise group engaged in four 30- to 40-minute
sessions of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking. Exercisers completed
brief daily logs including activity type, intensity and duration that
were mailed monthly to project staff. The 49 members of the nutrition
group learned about nutrition topics, discussed benefits of good nutrition
and kept daily diet logs. Telephone calls of 15- to 20-minutes were
used to monitor progress of both groups, answer questions and provide
individualized feedback.
At the
end of the study, the exercise group showed significant improvements
in stress-induced blood pressure levels and sleep quality compared
to the women who received nutrition counseling. Exercisers spent 5
hours a week in physical activity by the study's end compared to the
nutrition group who spent less than 3 hours per week in all forms
of physical activity. The exercising caregivers showed significantly
lower 12-month systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in response
to an emotional stress test compared to the nutrition group. Reduced
blood pressure reactivity in response to stress is associated with
fewer heart and blood pressure problems. Conversely, the nutrition
participants' diet improved but the group showed no changes in either
resting or reactive blood pressure.
The
home-based exercise program was particularly important to the 12 participants
who could not leave or find coverage for their care recipients for
30 minutes during the day. A health educator worked with them to develop
an indoor exercise program based on their preferences. Other participants
also received an individualized physical activity plan based on their
preferences.
"This
is a an important study given that many U.S. households eventually
will provide care to ill or disabled relatives," said Dr. Sidney
M. Stahl, Chief of Behavioral Medicine within the NIA's Behavioral
and Social Research Program. "Studies show that family caregiving
accompanied by emotional strain is an independent risk factor for
mortality among older adults. The study gives us some evidence that
a self-directed exercise program can reduce stress reactions and perhaps
improve the health of caregivers. This pilot intervention trial provides
encouraging results and hope for a low-cost, effective means to combat
caregiver stress." Future studies may confirm these findings
and define the mechanisms and degree of benefit moderate exercise
provides caregivers.
*In
addition to Dr. King who is at Stanford's Division of Epidemiology,
Department of Health Research & Policy, study authors included
Kellie Baumann, B.A., Stanford University School of Medicine's Center
for Research on Women's Health and Reproductive Medicine in the Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Paula O' Sullivan, Ph.D. and Cynthia
Castro, Stanford University School of Medicine's Center for Research
in Disease Prevention, Department of Medicine, and Sara Wilcox, Ph.D.,
University of South Carolina's Department of Exercise Science, School
of Public Health.
The
NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the Federal
effort supporting basic, clinical, epidemiological and social research
on aging and the special needs of older people.
