EFFECTS OF A COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL APPROACH AND POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT ON EXERCISE FOR OLDER ADULTS

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Abstract
I conducted a study to determine whether a cognitive behavioral approach to health teaching and the frequency of positive reinforcement affects the amount of physical exercise carried out by elderly subjects. Thirty‐six subjects ranging in age from 58 to 86 (mean age 73) participated in a 3‐month exercise program consisting of supervised weekly group stretching exercises and unsupervised stretching exercises, walking, and other activities. The subjects were pretested, and normal weekly baseline levels were obtained over a 2‐week period. The subjects were divided into three groups: Group 1 was given positive reinforcement by a facilitator every week, Group 2 was reinforced every month, and Group 3 was not given reinforcement. Analysis of variance showed a significant increase in exercise of about an hour per week (p – .0022) for all subjects. Group 2 had significantly lower levels of exercise than Groups 1 and 2 over the 3‐month period (p – .05): Group 1 – 542 min; Group 2 – 443 min; Group 3 ‐520 min. The data suggest that a cognitive behavioral method may be effective for short‐term behavior change, but frequency of reinforcement has no clear effect.