The impact of exercise on depressive symptoms in older Hispanic/Latino adults: results from the ‘¡Caminemos!’ study

ABSTRACT

Objectives: We examined the prospective effects of an evidence-based exercise intervention on depressive symptoms in older Hispanics/Latinos and the potential synergistic effects (if any) of an attribution-retraining component to counter negative ascriptions to the aging process.

Method: We analyzed baseline, 1-, 12-, 24-month data collected from Hispanics/Latinos ≥ 60 years participating in an exercise intervention (“¡Caminemos!”) across 27 senior centers (N = 572). All participants were given 4 weekly 1-hour group-based exercise classes targeting strength training, endurance, balance and flexibility. In addition, they were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a) treatment group–a 1-hour attribution retraining session where participants were taught that aging does not mean one inevitably becomes sedentary, or b) control group–generic health education. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms. Covariates included age, sex, education, income, marital status, acculturation, and number of chronic conditions.

Results: In prospective analyses, participants in both trial arms displayed lower scores for depressive symptoms at 12- (β1 = –0.17, p = 0.04) and 24-months (β2 = –0.33, p < 0.001) when compared to baseline values.

Conclusion: Given expected growth of the older Hispanic/Latino adult population, exercise programs are a promising strategy in promoting favorable mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Older Hispanic/Latino adults
• depressive symptoms
• exercise intervention
• randomized trial
• age reattribution

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful for the leadership and staff of the 27 senior centers that partnered with us in implementing the ‘¡Caminemos!’ trial in Los Angeles.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

Rosalba Hernandez is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) [grant number 1K01HL130712-01A1]. This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health [grant number R01 AG024460-05 to C. Sarkisian]; the UCLA Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center [grant number P30AG028748 to C. Sarkisian]; and the Midcareer Award in Patient-Oriented Community-Academic Partnered Aging Research [grant number 1K24AG047899-02 to C. Sarkisian].