Physical activity programs for elderly persons: an evaluation of Brazilian scientific production using the RE-AIM framework

Abstract

The RE-AIM framework is a model that analyzes both the external and internal validity of health programs. It proposes that programs should be evaluated based on five key dimensions: reach, effectiveness/efficiency, adoption, implementation and maintenance. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of physical activity programs for elderly persons published in Brazilian scientific literature using the RE-AIM framework. A total of 26 articles included in four scientific databases from 1993 to 2013 were identified and coded using a validated 52-item RE-AIM abstraction tool. Using the RE-AIM dimensions, indicators of reach (47.2%), effectiveness (36.3%), and implementation (27.5%) were reported more often than indicators of adoption (6.4%) and maintenance (4.7%). Only two articles were included in all five RE-AIM dimensions. Despite the increasing number of interventions targeting the elderly, few address the dimensions proposed by the RE-AIM framework, reducing their potential generalizability outside their original settings, and their overall external validity.