Social sports in an aging society: Exercising, recreation and rehabilitation for the elderly

Abstract

This paper analyzes the adaptive changes that take place in mature and elderly women with different track records in social sports in order to develop health and rehabilitation techniques based on personalized and groupwise approaches. This longitudinal study was conducted between 2009 and 2019 in Zhengzhou, China. The sample consisted of 24 mature and elderly women (45-65 years old) in the experimental group (regular social sports) and 40 women of the same age who did not exercise (control group). The experimental group received physiotherapy twice a week. The sessions were scheduled for 10 a.m. and lasted for 3h. The functional status of cardiovascular system parameters (blood pressure, heart rate) was measured. In addition, the physical working capacity (PWC 150), as well as the coefficient of body adaptation to stress and the Robinson index (the amount of oxygen required by the human body to function) were estimated. Women from the experimental group maintained stable coefficients of adaptation during all 10 years over which the study was conducted. Women with a long track record (up to 10 years) revealed a slight increase in the body's functional capacity (P ≤ 0.05 with control). More than 50% of the women in the experimental group had cardiovascular measurements within or above the normal range, whereas the opposite was true in the control group. The longitudinal study revealed upward trends of physical working capacity indicators, which can slow down involutional changes in the body. In some cases, the body's functional capacity may be improved. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 98-102.