Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Profile for Predicting Attrition from Exercise in Older Adults

  • Published:
Prevention Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine a profile for predicting attrition among older adults involved in a 12-month exercise program. The parent study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. The study took place between 2006 and 2009 within a university setting. Older adults (N = 179) completed baseline assessments of functional performance and psychosocial measures. Participants who were randomized, elected to receive treatment, and did not complete the exercise program were considered “dropouts” (n = 35). Those who completed the program (n = 144) were classified as “completers.” A latent profile analysis revealed two distinct patterns of memory complaints, self-efficacy to overcome barriers to exercise, balance performance, and stair performance. Dropouts were nearly twice as likely to be members of the profile that exhibited a higher degree of memory complaints, lower self-efficacy for overcoming exercise barriers, poorer single leg balance, and longer times to walk down stairs. The results provide an initial validation of a profile for discriminating between “dropouts” and “completers,” one that may have considerable utility for screening older adults prior to study entry.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Initially, we performed a discriminant function analysis that confirmed that “dropouts” and “completers” could be significantly differentiated: Wilk’s Λ = .89, χ 2 (4) = 21.19, p < .001. The discriminant function had an eigenvalue of .13, a canonical correlation of .34, and all loadings exceeded .32. Overall, 72 % of the total sample could be correctly classified into the two groups. Almost two-thirds (65 %) of participants were correctly predicted as dropouts, which is superior to a random assignment based on prior group membership probabilities.

References

  • Atlantis, E., Chow, C. M., Kirby, A., & Singh, M. F. (2004). An effective exercise-based intervention for improving mental health and quality of life measures: A randomized controlled trial. Preventive Medicine, 39, 424–434. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.02.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ball, K., Berch, D. B., Helmers, K. F., Jobe, J. B., Leveck, M. D., Marsiske, M., & Tennstedt, S. L. (2002). Effects of cognitive training interventions with older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 2271–2281. doi:10.1001/jama.288.18.2271.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Schmeichel, B. J., & Vohs, K. D. (2007). Self-regulation and the executive function: The self as controlling agent. In A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (pp. 516–539). New York, NY: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, L. B. (2006). Experimental methodology (10th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coday, M., Boutin-Foster, C., Goldman Sher, T., Tennant, J., Greaney, M. L., Saunders, S. D., & Somes, G. W. (2005). Strategies for retaining study participants in behavioral intervention trials: Retention experiences of the NIH Behavior Change Consortium. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 55–65. doi:10.1207/s15324796abm2902s_9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conn, V. S., Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. M. (2002). Interventions to increase physical activity among aging adults: A meta-analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24, 190–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dishman, R. (1991). Increasing and maintaining exercise and physical activity. Behavior Therapy, 22, 345–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drag, L. L., & Bieliauskas, L. A. (2010). Contemporary review 2009: Cognitive aging. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 23, 75–93. doi:10.1177/0891988709358590.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DuCharme, K. A., & Brawley, L. R. (1995). Predicting the intentions and behavior of exercise initiates using two forms of self-efficacy. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 18, 479–497.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108, 3017–3022. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015950108.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, A., & Rebok, G. (2011). Memory training and strategy use in older adults: Results from the active study. Psychology and Aging, 26, 503–517. doi:10.1037/a0022687.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. A., Elias, L. J., Fong, G. T., Harrison, A. H., Borowsky, R., & Sarty, G. E. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on physical activity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 30, 432–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. A., Fong, G. T., Epp, L. J., & Elias, L. J. (2008). Executive function moderates the intention-behavior link for physical activity and dietary behavior. Psychology and Health, 23, 309–326. doi:10.1080/14768320701212099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herman, S., Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M., Khatri, P., Craighead, W. E., Krishnan, K. R., & Doraiswamy, P. M. (2002). Exercise therapy for depression in middle-aged and older adults: Predictors of early dropout and treatment failure. Health Psychology, 21, 553–563.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann, W., Gawronski, B., Gschwendner, T., Le, H., & Schmitt, M. (2005). A meta-analysis on the correlation between the Implicit Association Test and explicit self-report measures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1369–1385.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann, W., Schmeichel, B. J., & Baddeley, A. D. (2012). Executive functions and self-regulation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16, 174–180. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2012.01.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S. Y., Hughes, S., & Prohaska, T. (2008). Factors affecting exercise attendance and completion in sedentary older adults: A meta-analytic approach. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 5, 385–397.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyl, M. T., Alessi, C. A., Harker, J. O., Josephson, K. R., Pietruszka, F. M., Koelfgen, M., & Rubenstein, L. Z. (1999). Development and testing of a five-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 47, 873–878.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. doi:10.1080/10705519909540118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huberty, C. J., & Petoskey, M. D. (2000). Multivariate analysis of variance and covariance. In H. E. A. Tinsley & S. D. Brown (Eds.), Handbook of applied multivariate statistics and mathematical modeling (pp. 183–208). San Diego: Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Huh, Y., Yang, E. J., Lee, S. A., Lim, J. Y., Kim, K. W., & Paik, N. J. (2011). Association between executive function and physical performance in older Korean adults: Findings from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 52, e156–e161. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2010.10.018.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jancey, J., Lee, A., Howat, P., Clarke, A., Wang, K., & Shilton, T. (2007). Reducing attrition in physical activity programs for older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 15, 152–165.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King, A. C., Kiernan, M., Oman, R. F., Kraemer, H. C., Hull, M., & Ahn, D. (1997). Can we identify who will adhere to long-term physical activity? Signal detection methodology as a potential aid to clinical decision making. Health Psychology, 16, 380–389.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • King, A. C., Marcus, B., Ahn, D., Dunn, A. L., Rejeski, W. J., Sallis, J. F., & Coday, M. (2006). Identifying subgroups that succeed or fail with three levels of physical activity intervention: The activity counseling trial. Health Psychology, 25, 336–347. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.25.3.336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, H., Leventhal, E. A., & Breland, J. Y. (2011). Cognitive science speaks to the “common-sense” of chronic illness management. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 41, 152–163. doi:10.1007/s12160-010-9246-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, K. Z., Roudaia, E., Lussier, M., Bherer, L., Leroux, A., & McKinley, P. A. (2010). Benefits of cognitive dual-task training on balance performance in healthy older adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 65, 1344–1352. doi:10.1093/gerona/glq151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linville, P. W. (1987). Self-complexity as a cognitive buffer against stress-related illness and depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 663–676. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.4.663.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu-Ambrose, T., Nagamatsu, L. S., Graf, P., Beattie, B. L., Ashe, M. C., & Handy, T. C. (2010). Resistance training and executive functions: A 12-month randomized controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine, 170, 170–178. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.494.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, B. H., Williams, D. M., Dubbert, P. M., Sallis, J. F., King, A. C., Yancey, A. K., & Claytor, R. P. (2006). Physical activity intervention studies: What we know and what we need to know: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism (Subcommittee on Physical Activity); Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young; and the Interdisciplinary Working Group on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research. Circulation, 114, 2739.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., Hau, K. T., & Grayson, D. (2005). Goodness of fit in structural equation models. In A. Maydeu-Olivares & J. McArdle (Eds.), Psychometrics. A Festschrift to Roderick P. McDonald. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mata, J., Silva, M. N., Vieira, P. N., Carraca, E. V., Andrade, A. M., Coutinho, S. R., & Teixeira, P. J. (2009). Motivational “spill-over” during weight control: Increased self-determination and exercise intrinsic motivation predict eating self-regulation. Health Psychology, 28, 709–716. doi:10.1037/a0016764.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McAuley, E. (1992). The role of efficacy cognitions in the prediction of exercise behavior in middle-aged adults. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15, 65–88.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McAuley, E. (1993). Self-efficacy and the maintenance of exercise participation in older adults. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16, 103–113.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McAuley, E., Jerome, G. J., Marquez, D. X., Elavsky, S., & Blissmer, B. (2003). Exercise self-efficacy in older adults: Social, affective, and behavioral influences. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 25, 1–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McAuley, E., Mailey, E. L., Mullen, S. P., Szabo, A. N., Wójcicki, T. R., White, S. M., & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Growth trajectories of exercise self-efficacy in older adults: Influence of measures and initial status. Health Psychology, 30, 75–83. doi:10.1037/a0021567.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, R. P. (1999). Test theory: A unified treatment. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “Frontal Lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41, 49–100. doi:10.1006/cogp.1999.0734.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Motl, R. W., Dishman, R. K., Ward, D. S., Saunders, R. P., Dowda, M., Felton, G., & Pate, R. R. (2005). Comparison of barriers self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control for explaining physical activity across 1 year among adolescent girls. Health Psychology, 24, 106–111. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.1.106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2010). Mplus (Version 6.0). Los Angeles: CA.

  • Novak, A. C., Li, Q., Yang, S., & Brouwer, B. (2011). Mechanical energy transfers across lower limb segments during stair ascent and descent in young and healthy older adults. Gait & Posture, 34, 384–390. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.06.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, L. A., Leventhal, H., & Leventhal, E. A. (2011). Physicians’ communication of the common sense self regulation model results in greater reported adherence than physicians’ use of interpersonal skills. British Journal of Health Psychology, 17, 244–257. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8287.2011.02035.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reid, S. M., Novak, A. C., Brouwer, B., & Costigan, P. A. (2011). Relationship between stair ambulation with and without a handrail and centre of pressure velocities during stair ascent and descent. Gait & Posture, 34, 529–532. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.07.008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, R. E., & Pfaeffli, L. A. (2010). Mediators of physical activity behaviour change among adult non-clinical populations: A review update. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 7, 37. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-7-37.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, K. A., Dennison, C. R., Wayman, D. M., Pronovost, P. J., & Needham, D. M. (2007). Systematic review identifies number of strategies important for retaining study participants. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 60, 751–765. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2006.11.023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, J. A., Gruman, C., King, M. B., & Wolfson, L. I. (2000). Attrition in an exercise intervention: A comparison of early and later dropouts. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48, 952–960.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, C., Brawley, L., & Lindover, T. (2005). Where perception and reality differ: Dropping out is not the same as failure. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 28, 481–491.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, Y., Sano, M., Paulson, J., & Mayeux, R. (1987). Modified mini-mental state examination: Validity and reliability. Neurology, 37, 179–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuss, D. T., & Alexander, M. P. (2000). Executive functions and the frontal lobes: A conceptual view. Psychological Research, 63, 289–298.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szabo, A. N., McAuley, E., Erickson, K. I., Voss, M., Prakash, R. S., Mailey, E. L., & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Cardiorespiratory fitness, hippocampal volume, and frequency of forgetting in older adults. Neuropsychology, 25, 545–553. doi:10.1037/a0022733.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Dulmen, S., Sluijs, E., van Dijk, L., de Ridder, D., Heerdink, R., & Bensing, J. (2007). Patient adherence to medical treatment: A review of reviews. BMC Health Services Research, 7, 1–13. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voss, M. W., Erickson, K. I., Prakash, R. S., Chaddock, L., Malkowski, E., Alves, H., & Kramer, A. F. (2010). Functional connectivity: A source of variance in the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognition? Neuropsychologia, 48, 1394–1406. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.01.005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wanous, J. P., Reichers, A. E., & Hudy, M. J. (1997). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures? Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 247–252. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.82.2.247.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whitbourne, S. B., Neupert, S. D., & Lachman, M. E. (2008). Daily physical activity: Relation to everyday memory in adulthood. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 27, 331–349. doi:10.1177/0733464807312175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yogev-Seligmann, G., Hausdorff, J. M., & Giladi, N. (2008). The role of executive function and attention in gait. Movement Disorders, 23, 329–342. doi:10.1002/mds.21720.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zelinski, E. M., & Gilewski, M. J. (2004). A 10-item Rasch modeled memory self-efficacy scale. Aging & Mental Health, 8, 293–306. doi:10.1080/13607860410001709665.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zinbarg, R., Yovel, I., Revelle, W., & McDonald, R. (2006). Estimating generalizability to a universe of indicators that all have one attribute in common: A comparison of estimators for omega. Applied Psychological Measurement, 30, 121–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (Grant # R37AG025667) and was registered at Clinical Trials.gov (NCT00438347). The authors extend appreciation to Ms. Susan Herrel for project coordination.

No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Freer Hall 227, 906 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Sean P. Mullen, Thomas R. Wójcicki, Emily L. Mailey, Amanda N. Szabo, Neha P. Gothe, Erin A. Olson, Jason Fanning & Edward McAuley

  2. Beckman Institute for Advanced Technology and Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Arthur Kramer & Edward McAuley

Authors
  1. Sean P. Mullen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas R. Wójcicki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Emily L. Mailey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amanda N. Szabo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Neha P. Gothe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Erin A. Olson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jason Fanning
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Arthur Kramer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Edward McAuley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sean P. Mullen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mullen, S.P., Wójcicki, T.R., Mailey, E.L. et al. A Profile for Predicting Attrition from Exercise in Older Adults. Prev Sci 14, 489–496 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-012-0325-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-012-0325-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation