부산대학교 도서관

INTRODUCTION: Most exercise studies for older adults have been university- or hospital-based. Little is known about the benefits and factors influencing long-term participation in community-based exercise programmes, especially in New Zealand. AIM: To quantify the objective benefits, participant perceptions and retention rates of a New Zealand community-based exercise programme for adults (60 years or older). METHODS: Study 1 involved assessing the benefits of 12 weeks’ training on a convenience sample of 62 older adults commencing the never2old Active Ageing programme. Study 2 assessed the perceptions of 150 current participants on a variety of programme components that could act as barriers or facilitators to continued engagement. Study 3 assessed the retention rates of 264 participants in the programme over a two-year period. RESULTS: Significant improvements in many physical functional scores were observed in Study 1 (5–30 percentile points; p