Abstract
Abstract Purpose: The present study analyzed the effects of chronological aging and the practice of regular exercise (PRE) on the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of older women. Methods: A descriptive study of 78 participants was performed, with longitudinal design and an initial evaluation in 2005 and a second in 2011. The PRE defined groups as Inactive (I), Insufficiently-Active (IA), and Sufficiently-Active (SA). The six-minute walking test measured CRF. MANOVA with repeated-measures was used to verify the effect of time and the PRE groups on CRF (p<0.05). Results: The participants were classified as having a low socioeconomic level and being overweight. MANOVA demonstrated the effect of time (F1.74=30.134; p<0.05) and groups (F2.74=3.729; p<0.05), without interaction (F2.74=0.811; p>0.05). Post hoc analysis indicated that the effect of time was significant between all groups (I: t=3.786, p<0.05; IA: t=2.597, p<0.05; SA: t=3.191, p<0.05); and the group effect was significant only between the I and SA groups in the second evaluation (First evaluation: F2.76=1.712; p>0.05; Second Evaluation: F2.77=3.239; p<0.05, post hoc Tukey: group I vs AS =p<0.05). A smaller reduction in CRF was found in the SA group (8.0%), followed by the IA (10.3%) and I (14.3%) groups. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that elderly women who practice exercise regularly had a smaller reduction in CRF than those who were inactive. This suggests that the PRE at recommended levels for health purposes can attenuate the effect of aging on the CRF.
Highlights
The effects of the passing of time, or chronological aging, have been the subject of countless studies.[1,2] One of the main bodily systems affected by this process is the cardiorespiratory system, which is indirectly related to the risk of various chronic conditions, disabilities and early death.3,6 Veras[7] reported that the elderly have a higher burden of chronic diseases, especially diseases of the cardiovascular system, which causes increased demands on and use of health services by increasing the cost of treatment of such conditions
The results of the present study indicate that elderly women who regularly practiced physical exercise suffered a lesser decline in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) than their inactive peers
It was observed that the CRF level of the active group during reassessment (480.8 m) was similar to that found in the inactive group during the first assessment (484.9 m), indicating that elderly persons who fulfilled practice of regular exercise (PRE) recommendations maintained levels of fitness of 5.8 years earlier than their inactive peers
Summary
The effects of the passing of time, or chronological aging, have been the subject of countless studies.[1,2] One of the main bodily systems affected by this process is the cardiorespiratory system, which is indirectly related to the risk of various chronic conditions, disabilities and early death.3-,6 Veras[7] reported that the elderly have a higher burden of chronic diseases, especially diseases of the cardiovascular system, which causes increased demands on and use of health services by increasing the cost of treatment of such conditions. Veras[7] reported that the elderly have a higher burden of chronic diseases, especially diseases of the cardiovascular system, which causes increased demands on and use of health services by increasing the cost of treatment of such conditions. Maintaining cardiorespiratory capacity can be considered a determining factor for independent living and overall health, minimizing public and personal spending on the treatment of such conditions. Among the elderly, satisfactory cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is required for various activities of daily living that involve large muscle groups for long periods, such as cleaning the house, gardening, getting from one place to another or bathing.[9,10] Low levels of CRF represent one of the main risk factors for obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic and cardiovascular disease and dependency. Among the elderly, satisfactory cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is required for various activities of daily living that involve large muscle groups for long periods, such as cleaning the house, gardening, getting from one place to another or bathing.[9,10] Low levels of CRF represent one of the main risk factors for obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic and cardiovascular disease and dependency. 6,11-15
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