Research reveals how structured exercise could reduce hospitalisation risk for older adults

A new study has revealed that structured, community-based exercise programs could lower the risk of hospitalisation for older adults, though the benefits differ significantly between men and women.

The research team from Yale School of Medicine studied older adults who worked out at a community-based exercise centre, where they were monitored and guided through cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training sessions by exercise physiologists.

The team then paired this data with regional hospital data and an American national mortality database from the years 2020 to 2023.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, showed that those in structured exercise programs were 46 per cent less likely to be hospitalised than those who did not participate in these programs.

However, only female participants experienced reduced hospitalisation rates, while male participants did not experience the same benefit.

The study’s lead, Dr Donald S. Wright, from the Yale School of Medicine said, “these findings extend the literature that supports the association of exercise with reduced hospitalizations”.

“Further randomised trials of the benefits of personalised exercise programs are warranted to assess sex- and gender- specific effects.”

If you’re over 60, regular exercise is crucial in maintaining your health and independence and ensuring you have the energy to do more of what you love, like playing with the grandkids.

Not only does regular exercise help you maintain an active lifestyle, but it can help to decrease the risk of developing serious conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, while helping to lift your mood and improve your mental health as well as your immunity.

While some may find it difficult to get enough exercise in each day, you can still enjoy the benefits with a technique called “exercise snacking”.

Researchers from Deakin University recently examined the new health and fitness method, finding it could improve the quality of life for over 65s.

Exercise snacking entails short bursts of regular bodyweight at home strength training that can include a routine of several different exercises such as single-leg knee bends, sit to stand, or single-leg quarter squats performed continuously for one minute with a one-minute recovery break in-between.

Project lead Dr Jackson Fyfe of Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) said it was important to break down common barriers to fitness that older Australians face and ensure seniors are implementing healthy habits to ensure their well-being and independence.

As part of the study, researchers brought in 38 male and female participants aged 65 to 80 who did not partake in regular resistance training and split them into four groups.

One group was a control group that did not exercise, another group exercised for five minutes per day, and two groups that exercised for five minutes twice a day or three times a day for four weeks.

Following the study, Dr Fyfe said “by breaking down exercise routines to bite-size intervals of bodyweight movements simple enough to be done at home, people were more likely to stick to their programs, gained confidence in doing new movements, and felt it was having a positive impact on their health.”

“The benefits of exercise are well known, but despite this just 6 per cent of adults aged 50 and over meet the current guidelines for muscle resistance training,” Dr Fyfe said.

Although Dr Fyfe conceded that the four-week trial was not long enough in duration to determine with certainty that exercise snacking can offer considerable benefits to health and well-being, he said “there are already plenty of related studies that show minimal-dose resistance training offsets the negative effects of ageing and improves mental health”.

“Australia has an ageing population and we wanted to show that exercise interventions to assist older people to maintain movement and improve their health and wellbeing do not need to be onerous,” Dr Fyfe said.

“These findings show it’s never too late to start exercising and that even small amounts of regular exercise can create positive results.”

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.