Published in Pawtucket Times on June 4, 2001

A University of Rhode Island research study that is currently under way is seeking seniors looking for a healthier lifestyle. The unique East Providence-based health promotion program plans to expand into nearby Pawtucket, Seekonk, Barrington, and the East Side of Providence and seeks 300 additional senior volunteers to participate.

At the SENIOR Project, URI researchers are investigating whether physical activity and nutrition are being elixirs to better health.

According to Director Phillip Clark, Sc.D., at URI’s Program in Gerontology, the National Institute on Aging-funded study takes a look at the effectiveness of a health promotion program geared at reaching people are at different stages of readiness to change their health-related behavior. “One size fit all” describes most health promotion programs, Clark tells The Times, but the SENIOR’s Project’s 12-month health promotion approach is “highly individualized.”

Currently, more than 1,000 enrollees age 65 and over have randomly been assigned to four health promotion interventions. All enrollees received material with large-print type for ease in reading.

The first intervention group receives a 20-page manual that explains the process of changing behaviors and the importance of physical exercise.  The second group is provided with a similar manual that also explains the change process but focuses on the nutritional benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.  A third group receives both sets of informational health promotion materials while the fourth group receives a manual on fall prevention.

Based on the results of quarterly questionnaire, an individualized report is generated and provided to each enrollee about their specific attitudes and behaviors, providing them with suggestions as to what they can do to make positive health and nutritional changes.

There are 16,000 possible variations of the computer-generated reports based on how the individualized questionnaires are filled out notes, Geoffrey Greene, Ph.D. RD, LDN, a URI professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences who also staffs the URI research team.

Greene adds that quarterly telephone counseling is offered too, by trained counselors. Using individualized reports, the counselor effectively coaches each older enrollee. “The counselors might focus on either the person’s attitudes or behaviors, depending on the person’s readiness to change,” he stated.

In between the quarterly reports. Greene notes that each enrollee will receive eight newsletters. Depending on the intervention group, the senior will be mailed a newsletter focusing on either nutrition, physical exercise, or both. Those seniors receiving the manuals about fall prevention will receive no newsletter. The URI nutritionist states that one of 40 variations of newsletters could be mailed to enrollees, linked to their level of readiness to change.

What specific nutritional lessons do people learn? Seniors receiving nutritional information on fruit and vegetables learn the importance of eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, Greene says. “It can help to reduce your high blood pressure, prevent certain types of cancers, reduce the risks of heart disease. Those who eat even more servings seem to have lower risks of diabetes, too,” Greene adds.

Greene states that seniors receiving nutritional intervention who already eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are told by the trained counselors to increase their variety. “A person is steered toward specific types of vegetables and fruits that are richer in nutrients and protective against certain types of diseases,” he adds.

As to physical fitness, Clark says that exercise is properly the most important health behavior for older adults. “It benefits body, mind and spirit,” he adds, noting that people of any age can benefit from a regular exercise program. Before beginning any exercise program, one needs to check with a physician, warns Clark.

Clark believes that “It’s never too late to begin to increase your physical activity.”

Estelle Tetreault, 78, a former public health nurse who had cardiac surgery last March, is a believer in the SENIOR Project and is pleased with her positive lifestyle changes. “The program really gets us off our butts,” she quipped, noting that her interest in health promotion influenced her to enroll.

For a while, Tetreault admits, she was a couch potato. “Exercise and nutrition have become a regular and more important part of my life,” the former Pawtucket and now East Providence resident says. “The upshot is I joined the SENIOR Project to support them but the project has become a source of support for me.

Tetreault’s longtime friend, Fran Robertson, also an East Providence resident and participant in the research study sees the tangible benefits, too. “Everyday Fran reminds herself to eat five fruits and vegetables,” Tetreault says, noting that her friend now regularly reminds herself to exercise daily.

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