Early Findings: Fit and Strong! Plus

Overweight older adults with osteoarthritis (OA) have heightened risk of disability; however few evidence-based programs currently target weight loss.  The Fit and Strong! (F&S!) physical activity (PA) program improves lower extremity (LE) strength and mobility out to 18 months for persons with OA. This session presents findings regarding F&S! Plus, our new program, that addresses both PA and weight loss. This randomized trial is enrolling 400 participants (200 in F&S! and 200 in F&S! Plus). To-date, enrollees (n =225) have a mean age of 67.5, 83% are female, and 91% African American. Baseline mean BMI was 34.6 kg/m² (obese), mean LE pain score was 5.9 and LE stiffness score was 3.2. Mean sit-stand score was 8.3 with a mean of 1167 ft for the 6-minute distance walk. None of the baseline values differed significantly by group. Significant differences were seen by group at 2 and 6-months for the first 130 study participants. At 2-months, we found significant between-group differences in change in BMI (p=.003), waist circumference (p=.01), and 6-minute walk distance (p=.03), favoring F&S! Plus. At 6 months, the BMI change remained (p=.01), and LE physical function (p=.02) improved significantly in the F&S Plus group (p=.02). Diet data from the first 3 cohorts (N=91) showed differences between group at 2 months, favoring F&S! Plus, on: dietary fat (p=.02), fiber (p=.05), orange vegetables (p=.02) and dairy (p=0.02). This presentation will review the trial design, intervention components, and baseline, 2, and new 6-month outcomes that will be available this fall.