Evaluation of a successful aging promotion intervention program for middle-aged adults in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: This study was to implement and evaluate a successful aging intervention program for middle-aged private insurance beneficiaries.

METHODS: The participants were recruited from the staff and middle-aged clients for the experimental and control groups of a private insurance company. The two client (experimental and control) groups were matched by comparable age groups, gender, education, and purchased insurance types. The intervention program provided for the staff and the experimental group consisted of a series of educational courses on the topics about successful aging and preparation for 4 months. In total, there were 40 staff members, in addition to the 74 members of the experimental group and 60 members of the control group participating in the study.

RESULTS: After the intervention, the rate of physical activity and exercise significantly improved for the staff and for the intervention group. There were significant improvements in behaviors associated with doing exercise and living a less sedentary lifestyle and in the utilization of health examinations, and improvements in fitness and blood pressure.

CONCLUSION: The successful aging intervention program significantly improved awareness of successful aging, exercise behavior and fitness.