OBJECTIVE: To assess the sustained effects of a buddy-style intervention aiming to improve physical activity. DESIGN: A parallel-group, open-label, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Three adult day-care centers. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-five community-dwelling older adults with disabilities. INTERVENTION: All participants received a 12-week home-based exercise program. An intervention group (n = 33) received a 5 to 10 min buddy-style intervention once a week at an adult day-care center for older adults. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was the average daily time spent performing "walking outside home" and "muscle strength exercises" at 24 weeks follow-up post-intervention. RESULTS: Of the 65 participants, one participant in each group dropped out before the program began, 4 and 5 in the intervention and control groups by the 12-week assessment, and 4 and 3 by the 24-week assessment, respectively. Analysis of covariance of the 47 participants who were able to be assessed after 24 weeks revealed that outdoor walking time (min/day) was significantly longer in the intervention group (n = 24) than in the control group (n = 23) at 24 weeks (intervention group, 73.5 (66.1); control group, 42.7 (45.5); p = 0.030, f = 0.38). There was no significant difference in the duration of muscle strength exercises (min/day) between the two groups at 24 weeks (intervention group, 8.2 (9.7); control group, 6.5 (9.3); p = 0.593, f = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: The buddy-style intervention increased the duration of outdoor walking, with a sustained effect up to 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.

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