“Active Guide” Brochure Reduces Sedentary Behavior of Elderly People: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to examine in a randomized controlled trial how much the sedentary behavior (sitting time) of community-dwelling elderly Japanese subjects decreased as a result of using the “Active Guide” brochure published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2013) and additional documents related to the benefits of reducing sedentary behavior. A total of 86 elderly people who participated in health-club activities for one year were randomly allocated to two groups. Subjects in the intervention group received explanations of the importance of physical activity using the “Active Guide” brochure (n=42) and additional documents, while subjects in the control group did not (n=44). Physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer for two weeks at baseline and again after one year. After one year of intervention, the difference in the sedentary behavior rate from baseline was −2.2% for the intervention group (n=40) and +2.5% for controls (n=40) (Welch’s t-test, p=0.007). Use of the “Active Guide” brochure and additional documents may reduce the sedentary behavior of community dwelling elderly people in Japan.