Structured Exercise Program is Feasible and Improves Functional Capacity among Older Adults in Puerto Rico
Guardado en:
| Autores: | , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | artículo original |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de Publicación: | 2014 |
| Descripción: | Physical inactivity is a major risk factor affecting overall health and functional capacity among older adults. In this study we evaluated functional capacity in 22 older adults in Puerto Rico (mean age ± standard deviation = 73.3 ± 8.2 years) before, during and after eight weeks participation in a structured exercise program. Functional capacity was evaluated using a field test battery (body composition, flexibility, coordination, agility and balance, muscle endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance) validated for this population. Also, cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and blood lipid levels were evaluated in a sub-sample (n = 7). A repeated measures ANOVA was used to detect changes in functional capacity before, during and after the exercise program. A paired t-test was used to evaluate changes in VO2max and lipids before and after the program. Flexibility improved significantly during the exercise program (51.6 ± 12.2 vs. 57.7 ± 8.1 cm, p=0.04) and this change was sustained at the end of the program (54.4 ± 10.2 cm). At eight weeks into the program, time in the agility and balance test improved by two seconds and muscle endurance improved by five repetitions (p<0.05 for all). No changes were observed in body composition, coordination, VO2max and lipid levels (p>0.05). These results suggest that participation in a structured exercise program for eight weeks can positively impact factors that improve movement capacity in older adults. |
| País: | Portal de Revistas UCR |
| Institución: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UCR |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/16784 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/pem/article/view/16784 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Physical Fitness Ageing Feasibility Programmed Exercise Aptitud física Envejeciente Viabilidad Ejercicio programado |