Please note: This website has recently moved from www.health.gov to odphp.health.gov. www.health.gov is now the official website of ODPHP’s parent organization, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). Please update your bookmarks for easy access to all our resources. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Physical Activity: Home-based Exercise Interventions for Adults Aged 65 Years and Older

About this resource:

Systematic Review

Source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services

Last Reviewed: July 2022

Workgroups: Physical Activity Workgroup, Older Adults Workgroup

Physical activity is key to staying healthy as people age. In this systematic review, the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) evaluated home-based exercise programs to improve physical fitness among adults aged 65 years and older.

CPSTF found that home-based exercise interventions to improve physical fitness — including balance and muscle strength, power, and endurance — among adults aged 65 years and older improved older adults’ balance, muscle strength, muscle power, and muscular endurance. Additionally, people who participate in home-based exercise reported fewer falls  and spent more time engaged in physical activity.

Read more about this resource

Objectives related to this resource (6)

Increase the proportion of older adults with physical or cognitive health problems who get physical activity — OA‑01
Baseline only
Reduce the proportion of adults who do no physical activity in their free time — PA‑01
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who do enough muscle-strengthening activity — PA‑04
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who do enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity — PA‑05
LHI label
Little or no detectable change
Reduce fall-related deaths among older adults — IVP‑08
Getting worse
Reduce the rate of emergency department visits due to falls among older adults — OA‑03
Baseline only

Suggested Citation

1.

Guide to Community Preventive Services. (2022). Physical Activity: Home-based Exercise Interventions for Adults Aged 65 years and Older. Retrieved from https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/physical-activity-home-based-exercise-interventions-adults-65-years-older.html.