Impacto de um programa de exercício físico na aptidão física de seniores portugueses

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of regular practice of physical exercise in the elderly has been recognized by the clinical and scientific community, mainly due to the benefits that this entails in the physical, mental and well-being indexes of the elderly adult. In this context, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a structured physical exercise program on the physical fitness of Portuguese seniors.Methods: a quantitative, longitudinal profile study using a non-probabilistic sample, for convenience, composed of 133 seniors, mostly female (71.4%) and with a mean age of 66.26 years (Dp= 5.63). The physical exercise program, carried out by sports professionals, lasted five months in 2018, and the participants were evaluated at two different moments (before and after the program), with anthropometric and as well as data on the physical and mental health dimension through the questionnaire Older Americans Resources and Services Program (OARS)Results: after the implementation of the program, there was a significant improvement in (a): abdominal perimeter (decreased, in average terms, from 95.84 to 93.57, p = 0.000); body mass index (decreased from 29.43 to 29.08, p = 0.000); glycemic index (decreased from 123.08 to 113.62, p = 0.003); systolic blood pressure (decreased from 126.15 to 121.59, p = 0.000); diastolic blood pressure (from 66.92 to 64.27, p = 0.00); heart rate (increased from 67.29 to 68.49, p = 0.032); (increased from 96.03 to 97.36, p = 0.002), and physical health (increased from 45.73 to 47.21, p = 0.001). At the level of mental health, there were no significant fluctuations in the results (26.96 vs 27.00).Conclusion: The evidence suggests that strategies and partnerships to promote the health ofseniors continue to be developed in order to contribute to the increase of their physical fitness and thus to a better quality of life. Of course, networking by leveraging a multidisciplinary intervention will assume an elementary role to play.