Condición física de adultos mayores de grupos para la tercera edad en Cali (Colombia)

Abstract

IntroductionAging results in decreased physical ability, which directly impacts people's functionality. ObjectiveTo determine the physical condition of older adults that participate in working groups for the third age of the city of Cali. MethodsDescriptive cross-sectional study that considered the analysis of the records of assessment of the physical condition of older adults linked to 17 groups that promote physical activity in Santiago de Cali (Colombia). The data were processed using the statistical package SPSS® version 20. Frequencies were calculated, measures of central tendency and dispersion. To establish differences in the variables of physical condition by sex and age group, we used the non-parametric tests Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test with multiple comparisons per couple. ResultsThe results show significant differences in fat mass (P=.000), strength of upper limbs (P=.000) and aerobic capacity (P=.032) of the men and the women; and on lower body strength (P=.027), dynamic equilibrium (P=.011) and aerobic capacity (P=.011) to compare the group aged 60 to 64 years with the group aged 90 or more. ConclusionsThese findings confirm that physical activity programmes for older adults must be adapted according to age, sex, physical condition and risks to the health of this population.