BALTIMORE, Feb 11, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Volunteers who tutored children
burned twice as many calories as non-volunteers, U.S. researchers said.
The study, published in Journals of Gerontology, found the volunteers had double
the level of activity doing household chores, exercising or recreating than that
of non-volunteers.
The researchers surveyed and collected medical information for 71 Experience
Corps Baltimore volunteers who tutored grade school children 15 hours per week
and 150 from 1,400 participants enrolled in the Baltimore Woman's Health and
Aging Studies.
Each year for three years, all those in the the study -- all black women over
the age of 65 -- also filled out the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity
Questionnaire as a measure of activity levels/calorie consumption.
"Although our original eight-month study also showed this increase, the fact
that it was sustained for three years illustrates the potential for a
sustainable, long-lasting lifestyle change," lead author Dr. Erwin Tan of The
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said in a statement.
Tan said the focus on black women was due to their preponderance in the two
community groups from which the study participants were recruited but he said
the results may be the same for all elderly.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2009 by United Press International