Abstract
This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study that aimed to identify changes in muscle function (i.e., mobility, maximal walking speed, lower limb muscle strength, balance, and transfer capacity), cognition (i.e., executive function) and hemodynamic parameters of community-dwelling Brazilian older adults during a six-month multicomponent exercise program (MCEP). A total of 436 community-dwelling older adults performed functional, cognitive and hemodynamic assessments before and after a six-month MCEP. The program of exercise was performed twice a week over 26 weeks at moderate intensity. Results indicate that balance, mobility (i.e., usual and maximal walking speeds) and transfer capacity (p < 0.05) were significantly improved after the MCEP. Moreover, all hemodynamic parameters (i.e., systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures), except for heart rate (p > 0.05), were significantly reduced after the intervention. The current findings indicate that a six-month MCEP may provide physical and hemodynamic benefits in community-dwelling older adults. Nevertheless, our findings need to be confirmed in larger samples and better designed studies.
Highlights
According to the United Nations (UN), the ageing of the world’s population is one of the most important topics in the 21st century, given its implications for most sectors of society, including health, transportation, labor and financial markets, and economy [1]
Our findings suggest that SBP and DBP values were within a prehypertensive classification
A larger magnitude of changes in SBP and DBP was observed in the present study when compared to a recent meta-analysis [42] regarding the effects of endurance training (SBP = −3.5 mmHg and DBP = −2.5 mmHg), resistance training (SBP = −1.8 mmHg and DBP = −3.2 mmHg), and combined training (SBP = −3.5 mmHg and DBP = −2.2 mmHg). This phenomenon has been observed in other investigations in previous studies as well [22], given that a substantial decrease in SBP (6 mmHg) and DBP (2 mmHg) has been observed after a three-month multicomponent exercise program (MCEP). These findings indicate that multicomponent exercise should be widely explored in better designed studies, since it can be in the near future one more public health alternative in the management of blood pressure in older adults
Summary
According to the United Nations (UN), the ageing of the world’s population is one of the most important topics in the 21st century, given its implications for most sectors of society, including health, transportation, labor and financial markets, and economy [1]. The older population represents around 900 million people worldwide, and this prevalence is expected to double by 2050, where the number of older people may reach nearly two billion [1]. It is important to mention that different patterns of the demographic transition of ageing population may be observed according to geographic characteristics, which may suggest that some countries may need more time and attention in the development of public health programs [1]. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2184; doi:10.3390/ijerph16122184 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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