Purpose: This study was done to investigate
the effects of **the Thera-band exercise program
on the lower extremities muscle strength and
balance in rural female farmers. Method: The
participants were 19 rural women age of 40 or
over who were living in the area within the
jurisdiction of a public health center in North
Chung Province and who agreed to participate
in the study. The Thera-band exercise program
was implemented for 10 weeks from Jan 17. to
Mar 31. 2005. Total time was 60 minutes, 5
times a week. Paired ttest
was used to analyze
the data using the SPSS program. Result: The
results of study showed that thigh muscle
strength(t= 6.718, p〈.001) and the dynamic
balance(t=4.934, p〈.001) decreased significantly.
Ankle muscle strength(t=-6.739, pp〈.001) and
static balance (t=-2.395, p=.025) increased
significantly. Conclusion: The results suggest
that the Thera-band exercise program could be
effective in improving thigh muscle strength,
ankle muscle strength, the static balance, and
the dynamic balance of rural female farmers.
Further study is needed to compare strength
and balance before and after the exercise
program and to use a control group for
comparison. Also it is needed to do more study
on the appropriate length of time that the
intervention should be given in order to achieve
maximum results.