| Substance abuse/addiction rates are higher in the homeless than the general population, and cocaine is especially problematic, with high rates of use and poor treatment outcomes. PURPOSE: The objective was to determine feasibility of homeless cocaine-using men participating in a 6-week standardized exercise regimen. METHODS: Twenty-five homeless men were screened and five who had used cocaine within the past year were enrolled. All participants completed an initial graded exercise "stress" test. Standardized, vigorous-intensity exercise intervention sessions were held 3 times per week for 6 weeks at a homeless shelter. Heart rate/blood pressure were assessed before/after each exercise session. Urine drug screens were administered twice weekly. Logs were kept of attendance, minutes exercised per session, urine drug screen results, and heart rates/blood pressures. RESULTS: Two participants completed follow-up, yielding a 40% retention rate. Mean number of exercise sessions attended was 5 (SD= 5.73) out of 17. Mean number of minutes exercised per session was 49.28 out of 60. Where 1 is Poor and 10 is Excellent, mean rating by participants of the overall exercise class experience was 9. CONCLUSION: Although recruiting was difficult and retention was low, exercise intervention sessions were well-tolerated. Further study of the homeless population is warranted in order to increase recruitment and retention. |
