Retention of older veterans with serious mental illness in a clinical exercise program.

Older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) have compromised physical function that could be improved with exercise; however, retention in exercise programs is a challenge. This study was a retrospective analysis of retention for the 150 older veterans with SMI that enrolled in Gerofit, a clinical exercise program offered in the Veterans Health Administration. Chi-square and t -tests were conducted to evaluate baseline differences between those that were and were not retained at six and 12 months. Retention was 33% and better health-related quality of life and endurance were related to retention. Future work is needed to improve exercise program retention in this population.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Browne, Elbogen, Mueser, Rudolph, Wu, Philip, Mills, Young, Sloane and Hall.)