Fried Linda P, Carlson Michelle C, Freedman Marc, Frick Kevin D, Glass Thomas A, Hill Joel, McGill Sylvia, Rebok George W, Seeman Teresa, Tielsch James, Wasik Barbara A, Zeger Scott
Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Policy, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, JHU School of Medicine, 2024 East Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
J Urban Health. 2004 Mar;81(1):64-78. doi: 10.1093/jurban/jth094.
This report evaluates whether a program for older volunteers, designed for both generativity and health promotion, leads to short-term improvements in multiple behavioral risk factors and positive effects on intermediary risk factors for disability and other morbidities. The Experience Corps(R) places older volunteers in public elementary schools in roles designed to meet schools' needs and increase the social, physical, and cognitive activity of the volunteers. This article reports on a pilot randomized trial in Baltimore, Maryland. The 128 volunteers were 60-86 years old; 95% were African American. At follow-up of 4-8 months, physical activity, strength, people one could turn to for help, and cognitive activity increased significantly, and walking speed decreased significantly less, in participants compared to controls. In this pilot trial, physical, cognitive, and social activity increased, suggesting the potential for the Experience Corps to improve health for an aging population and simultaneously improve educational outcomes for children.
本报告评估了一个针对老年志愿者的项目，该项目旨在促进繁衍力和健康，是否能在短期内改善多种行为风险因素，并对残疾和其他疾病的中间风险因素产生积极影响。“经验军团”（Experience Corps®）将老年志愿者安置在公立小学，担任满足学校需求的角色，以增加志愿者的社交、身体和认知活动。本文报道了在马里兰州巴尔的摩进行的一项试点随机试验。128名志愿者年龄在60至86岁之间；95%为非裔美国人。在4至8个月的随访中，与对照组相比，参与者的身体活动、力量、可求助的人以及认知活动显著增加，步行速度下降幅度显著更小。在这项试点试验中，身体、认知和社交活动均有所增加，这表明“经验军团”项目有潜力改善老年人群的健康状况，同时提高儿童的教育成果。
