Effects of Multicomponent Exercise Program on Functional Fitness and Balance in Community-Dwelling Elderly Women

ABSTRACT Introduction: Aging is inevitable and irreversible, but with the advancement of technology, life expectancy is increasing every year, bringing proposals for various interventions to improve the quality of life. One such intervention is physical exercise programs. Objectives: To investigate the impact of multicomponent training in circuits on functional autonomy parameters in elderly women. Methods: Elderly were recruited and distributed in two groups: trained (N = 16) and non-trained (N = 15). Those in the trained group performed 75-minute training sessions twice a week over a 56-week period. The resistance training included upper and lower limbs with a relative intensity of 70% of 1RM, exercises using body weight, stretching and specific tasks for agility, performed in a circuit form and totaling three passages. Participants underwent functional autonomy (FA) assessment by the protocol of the Latin American Developmental Group for Maturity, the 6-minute walk test (T6M), and the sit-and-reach (SR) test. Results: The trained group had a significant decrease in body weight (p=0.02) and body mass index (p=0.015). Significant improvements (p=0,009) were also observed in FA, SR, and T6M after the intervention Compared with the untrained group, the trained group also obtained significant differences in all functional parameters analyzed. Conclusion: A long-term multicomponent training program conducted on a circuit and applied twice a week was enough to improve multiple components of the functional autonomy of elderly women. Level of Evidence II; Prognostic studies - Investigating the effect of a patient characteristic on the outcome of disease.

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Implementation of an Evidence-Based Exercise Program for Older Adults in South Florida

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.1155/2016/9630241 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Richard C. Palmer ◽

Anamica Batra ◽

Chelsie Anderson ◽

Timothy Page ◽

Edgar Vieira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Exercise Program ◽

South Florida ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Functional Fitness ◽

Body Strength ◽

High Satisfaction ◽

Wide Scale

Introduction. This study aimed to examine how well an evidence-based physical activity program could be translated for wide scale dissemination and adoption to increase physical activity among community-dwelling older adults.Methods. Between October 2009 and December 2012, reach, fidelity, dosage, ease of implementation, and barriers to translation of EnhanceFitness (EF) were assessed. To assess effectiveness, a pretest-posttest design was used to measure increases in functional fitness (chair stands, arm curls, and the up-and-go test).Results. Fourteen community-based agencies offered 126 EF classes in 83 different locations and reached 4,490 older adults. Most participants were female (72%). Thirty-eight percent of participants did not complete the initial 16-week EF program. The 25% who received the recommended dose experienced an increase in upper and lower body strength and mobility. Further, participants reported high satisfaction with the program.Conclusion. EF was successfully implemented in a variety of settings throughout South Florida and reached a large number of older adults. However, challenges were encountered in ensuring that those who participated received a program dose that would lead to beneficial gains in functional fitness.

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Comparison of the Daily Fitness Test in Nursing Home Residents and Community-Dwelling Residents Elderly Women

Exercise Science ◽

10.15857/ksep.2020.29.4.409 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 409-415

Author(s):

Min-Hwa Suk ◽

Hee-Seung Jang ◽

Jin-Wook Lee

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Elderly Women ◽

Nursing Home Residents ◽

Exercise Program ◽

The Elderly ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Step Test ◽

Fitness Test

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to compare the daily fitness tests of nursing home residents and community-dwelling elderly women after 16 weeks program.METHODS:Thirty elderly women living in a nursing home (n=14) or community (n=16) participated in the study. The program was assigned 1 hour twice a week for 16 weeks to improve the physical activity for the elderly women. The daily fitness test assessed the physical fitness levels for elderly. The tests performed the 2-min step test, chair stand test, arm curl test, chair sit and reach test, backscratch test, 244-cm up and go test.RESULTS:A result of the study show that the daily physical fitness of the elderly women living in the community is higher than those living in nursing homes. After the program which induced physical activity, 2-min step test (<i>p</i><.05) and 244-cm up and go test (<i>p</i><.05) were much improved in the elderly living in nursing homes.CONCLUSIONS:Although the daily fitness of nursing home residents was lower than community-dwelling residents, there was a significant improvement after exercise program.

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