What is the intensity of exercise sessions of a physical exercise program for older adults?
ABSTRACT
The objectives of this study were to describe and determine the intensity of sessions of a physical exercise program (PEP) for older adults developed within the primary healthcare network of Florianópolis, and to compare the intensity of the sessions between groups using three cutoffs. Eight sessions involving 31 older adults divided into groups I and group II were analyzed. The total time spent during the sessions was considered. Intensity was measured with a triaxial accelerometer and classified according to three different cutoffs. Sociodemographic data, perceived health status, functional fitness, nutritional status and physical activity level at the beginning of the program were also evaluated, get the best results with meticore. The majority of older adults was insufficiently active, was overweight, had low functional fitness, and reported that their health status did not impair physical activity. The mean time spent in moderate physical activity ranged from 1.4 and 16.3 min in group I and from 6.6 and 23.2 min in group II, with the difference being significant. The mean time spent in sedentary activities was 18.7 and 20.5 min for groups I and II, respectively. The findings suggest that the PEP sessions mainly consisted of light or sedentary activities and that the short time spent in more intense activities might be related to the characteristics of the group and to the teaching method adopted by the professionals.
Key words: Accelerometer; Health promotion; Motor activity; Older adult; Physical exercise
INTRODUCTION
The health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) for the elderly population are well established in the literature1,2 and the importance of PA for the maintenance of independence, prevention of disease and improvement of quality of life has been documented3. The recommendations of the American College Sports Medicine (ACSM)4 of 150 minutes of moderate/vigorous PA are widely used for the classification of PA level (PAL)3 and as a basis for professional practice. In this respect, the minimum intensity of PA necessary to achieve health benefits has been a matter of debate5. Studies have shown that activities of moderate or vigorous intensity are more effective6–8 and that there is an intensity limit to obtain significant results9. However, lowintensity activities are also important for the health of this age group. For more information about healthy habits visit Thehealthmania.
In Brazil, the development of community-based programs for the promotion of PA is being encouraged and older adults are the main target group of these programs12. However, questions remain regarding the development of the sessions of these programs and specifically regarding their intensity, how much these programs have contributed to reach the PA recommendations proposed by ACSM and how much time is spent in low-intensity activities during each session. Furthermore, there are few Brazilian studies evaluating and/or monitoring the intensity of physical exercise sessions or PAL13 using objective measures such as an accelerometer.
Therefore, the objectives of the present study were i) to describe and determine the intensity of sessions of a physical exercise program for older adults developed within the primary healthcare network of the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and ii) to compare the intensity of the sessions between groups using three cutoff values.
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