The fitness effects of a 10-week golf training program for older adults: A non-randomized, pre-post, pilot study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/ajrt.2022.0265Keywords:
golf, older adult, physical fitnessAbstract
Objective: Golf encompasses multiple aspects of fitness—long walking distances, squatting, balance demands, and power production. This pre-post, pilot study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03916887) investigated the fitness effects of a golf training program for nongolfing healthy, older adults, to inform the design of an expanded randomized control trial (RCT).
Design: Fifteen healthy, older adults (69.5 ± 6.05 years) were enrolled in a 10-week golf program, with fitness testing at baseline and at program completion.
Outcome measures: Measures from the Senior Fitness Test, hand grip strength, fast gait speed, center of pressure (COP) during static balance tasks, and lower extremity (LE) strength were collected. Hedge’s g effect sizes (ES) were calculated, and total sample sizes (SS) were determined for a future two-arm, Phase II RCT.
Results: Fourteen participants completed the program and testing. One participant left the study because of a work-related injury. There were no adverse events, and participants completed 283/300 sessions (94 percent). The Senior Fitness Test and gait measures improved by 7-20 percent with moderate-large ES. Strength increased by 6-8 percent with moderate-large ES. COP measurements in the anterior–posterior direction improved by 13-25 percent with moderate ES. In response to an exit survey, participants reported improved physical function and reduced stress, and all said they planned to continue playing golf.
Conclusion: The 10-week golf training program was adherent, safe, and appeared to improve LE agility and strength, gait speed, and static balance with moderate-large ES’s. The findings support the development of an expanded Phase II RCT, with a sample size of 65 per group.
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