LAUSR

Abstract Aim This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an exercise intervention on subjective well-being (SWB) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in older residents living in restoration public housing in Fukushima Prefecture after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Methods Twelve restoration public housing complexes were randomly allocated into an intervention group or a control group. Participants in the intervention group were invited to a series of weekly exercise classes over eight weeks. Participants in the control group received the same materials used in the intervention program by mail once a week for eight weeks. The variation (pre-post intervention) of SWB assessed using the Japanese version of the World Health Organisation-Five Well-being Index and the mental and physical domain of HRQOL via The Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 12 were compared between groups. Results Data of 18 participants in the intervention group and 29 participants in the control group were analyzed. There were no significant differences between groups in the SWB (p = .41) and mental (p = .16) and physical (p = .42) domains of HRQOL. Odds for decreased SWB in three months from the baseline was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.23, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.06–0.88) but not in the mental (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.23–2.43) or physical (OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 0.79–9.85) domains of HRQOL. Conclusion The exercise intervention could mitigate deteriorated SWB in older restoration public housing residents.