On the right path to a successful later life

Comprehensive health promotion for 65+ in Hafnarfjörður 

The first six-month stage of the project Comprehensive fitness in Hafnarfjörður – health promotion for older age groups 65+ is now complete. Following an information meeting at the start of the year, over 170 participants were registered for the project, but participation had to be decided by a draw as far fewer places were available than people wanted. The 60 participants drawn for the autumn have all now become active participants. Around 200 people are now taking part in the project, with 150 in its second phase and 60 in the first.

Main objective of the project and initial findings

The main focus of this project is health-related prevention work, a targeted public health intervention with verifiable methods and measurements. The emphasis is on daily endurance training and strength training twice a week, in addition to monthly educational talks on nutrition, medication and the use of drugs related to training, and other health-related topics. Participants who began in early February this year underwent measurements before the training period and then again after 6 months. Extremely positive results were revealed following the second measurement compared to the baseline measurements.

Daily exercise is the foundation of good health.

Daily physical activity increased significantly among participants. It was just over 11 minutes per day before the project, but at the end of the first phase, after 6 months, it was just over 28 minutes, representing an increase of approximately 147%. This is particularly pleasing, as the recommendation of international health organisations is 30 minutes of daily exercise for this age group. There was also a significant increase in participation in strength training, but only about 15% of participants had engaged in strength training to some extent before. The average number of sessions per week after the 6-month training was 1.72, whereas the recommendation from international health organisations is 2 sessions per week. These two factors, combined with the exceptionally well-attended educational talks and the older adults' willingness to tackle changes to their own lifestyles, are creating the success seen in other measurements. The main ones are:

• Blood pressure, the upper limits, have also significantly lowered, from 149 down to 138 mmHg, which represents a 7% success rate, The lower limits also decreased, from 83 to 80 mmHg, which is a good result as the participants have now reached a normal lower blood pressure and are out of the hypertensive range for the upper limit.
• Resting pulse decreased in parallel with an increase in capacity of over 8%, both of which are welcome news for people aged 65–90.
• Motor skills. Leg strength increased by 17.2%, arm muscular endurance by just over 27%, and all measurements related to motor skills improved.
• Body fat percentage and fat mass. Both body fat percentage and fat mass decreased as muscle mass increased.
• Quality of life They improved, and participants have generally felt well as social aspects have been strengthened. 

These results are comparable to the results for participants in Reykjanesbær taking part in the same project. The project will hopefully enable participants to carry out activities of daily living for longer, live independently for longer, and serve as an inspiration for other older people and the wider community to improve their own health through targeted health promotion. It is worth noting that the average age of the group is just over 73 years, with men around 74 and women almost 73. The youngest participant is 65, while the oldest is 90.

Thanks to the participants

For those involved in this project, both from Janus Health Promotion and the City of Hafnarfjörður, it has been a unique pleasure to work with this group of older residents of Hafnarfjörður. The group has been very giving; most follow the exercise programmes well and are determined to carry on. The dropout rate between stages was just over 12%, which is far below expectations, as a dropout rate of up to 20-40% is to be expected in projects of this nature for this age group.

Further information about the comprehensive services of the City of Hafnarfjörður for senior citizens can be found Here

All information about social activities for the over-60s in Hafnarfjörður can be found on the website of the Association of Senior Citizens of Hafnarfjörður or Here