Behavioral and Social Approaches to Increase Physical Activity: Social Support Interventions in Community Settings is a systematic review of 9 studies that provide positive results related to social support interventions for older adults in community settings. These social support interventions focus on changing physical activity behavior through building, strengthening, and maintaining social networks that provide supportive relationships for behavior change. These social support interventions focus on changing physical activity behavior through building, strengthening, and maintaining social networks that provide supportive relationships for behavior change (e.g., setting up a buddy system, making contracts with others to complete specified levels of physical activity, or setting up walking groups or other groups to provide friendship and support). In all 9 studies reviewed, social support interventions in community settings were effective in getting people to be more physically active, as measured by various indicators (e.g., blocks walked or flights of stairs climbed daily, frequency of attending exercise sessions, or minutes spent in physical activity).

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Effect Behavioral Change, Reduce Risk or Incidence of Disease or Condition, Public Health, Community- & Faith-Based Organizations, Government & Policymakers, Academics, Research & Development, Behavioral & Social, Community Intervention, Primary Prevention, Families & Households

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