Development and implementation of resistance training programs in community-dwelling older adults using outdoor activity benches by IPitup.

In order to promote healthy ageing and independent living, the World Health Organization recommends older adults to engage in resistance exercise at least twice weekly. However, only a minority of the older population complies with these guidelines, stressing the urgent need to develop comprehensive strategies to implement resistance exercise programs in the community. This PhD project will be performed in close collaboration with IPitup vzw, who developed outdoor activity benches (hardware), an accommodating smartphone app with exercise instructions and training courses (software) as a low-cost modality for resistance exercise in the general population. The aim is to build upon these existing structures and co-develop an optimized, progressive resistance exercise program for community-dwelling older adults, which can be performed in small groups without the need for specialized training experts. The program’s feasibility, efficacy to improve muscle strength and power and implementation potential will be tested in a randomized controlled trial.