How Effective Are Interventions to Increase Physical Activity Levels Among Older Inpatients Receiving Rehabilitation, Without Increasing the Amount of Therapy? A Systematic Review

We systematically reviewed the effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity in older adults (aged ≥ 60 y), admitted for inpatient rehabilitation, without increasing the amount of therapy. Five electronic databases were systematically searched to identify English-language articles reporting controlled trials of interventions to increase the physical activity (through participation or behavioural change) of older adults receiving inpatient rehabilitation. Trials were excluded if an intervention increased the intensity of usual care, either during the week or on the weekend. Two reviewers independently completed trial selection, quality assessment, and data extraction. Data were synthesized descriptively, and effect sizes with 95% CIs were calculated. Of the 316 articles identified, 3 were included. Two were activity-based, and 1 was a behavioural change intervention. Physical activity was significantly improved in the behavioural change intervention trial that occurred during therapy ( = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.52) and non-therapy time ( = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.68). Participants in all trials were sedentary for the vast majority of the day. Older adults in inpatient rehabilitation have a high level of inactivity. Evidence is lacking that interventions increase physical activity in older adults admitted to inpatient rehabilitation without increasing the amount of time in therapy. Evidence from one trial indicates that behaviour-based strategies are effective for increasing physical activity levels in the inpatient rehabilitation setting.