Happier Elderly Residents. The positive impact of physical activity on objective and subjective health condition of elderly people in nursing homes. Evidence from a multi-site randomized controlled trial

Claudia Senik (1, 2, 3) , Guglielmo Zappalà (1) , Carine Milcent (1, 2) , Chloé Gerves-Pinquié (4) , Patricia Dargent-Molina (5)

1 PSE - Paris School of Economics
2 PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques
3 SU - Sorbonne Université
4 IRSRPL - Institut Recherche en Santé Respiratoire des Pays de la Loire
5 INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale

We explore the effects of adapted physical exercise programs in nursing homes, in which some residents suffer from dementia and/or physical limitations and other do not. We use data from 452 participants followed over 12 months in 32 retirement homes in four European countries. Using a difference-in-difference with individual random effects model, we show that the program has exerted a significant impact on the number of falls and the self-declared health and health-related quality of life of residents (EQ-5D). The wide scope of this study, in terms of sites, countries, and measured outcomes, brings generality to previously existing evidence. A simple computation, in the case of France, suggests that such programs are highly cost-efficient.

Mots clés: Falls; Subjective health; Impact study; Retirement homes; Physical activity

Domaines: Economies et finances

Claudia Senik, Guglielmo Zappalà, Carine Milcent, Chloé Gerves-Pinquié, Patricia Dargent-Molina. Happier Elderly Residents. The positive impact of physical activity on objective and subjective health condition of elderly people in nursing homes. Evidence from a multi-site randomized controlled trial. 2021. ⟨halshs-03205172v1⟩