Effect of water aerobics on the functional autonomy of the elderly population

• Autor(a) principal: Bezerra,Jader de Andrade
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Farias,Neméia de Oliveira, Jácome,João Gomes, Castro,Aristéia Nunes Sampaio, Costa,Jeane Maria Moura, Dantas,Estélio Henrique Martin
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Geriatrics, Gerontology and Aging (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ggaging.com/details/237
• topic: Elderly, functional autonomy, water aerobics.

<p><b>OBJECTIVE:</b> To assess the effect of water aerobics exercise on the functional autonomy of the elderly.<br> <b>METHODS:</b> Thirty-eight elderly subjects (aged 60-75 years) were randomly selected and divided into two groups: sedentary elderly subjects (GIS N = 19) and elderly subjects who practiced water aerobics three times a week, 50 minutes per session, for six months (GIH; N = 19). The subjects in GIS did not participate in any activity during this period. Physical aptitude was assessed using a battery of tests from the Latin American Development Group for the Elderly (LADGE), which measure activities of daily life: a 10-min walk (10mW), getting up from a seated position (GSP), getting up from the prone position (GPP), getting up from a chair and moving around (GCM), and putting on/taking off a shirt (PTS). All data are expressed in seconds. Differences between groups were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (SPSS software, version 16.0 for Windows).<br> <b>RESULTS:</b> The level of functional autonomy was higher in G1 than in G2 (p &lt; 0.05).<br> <b>CONCLUSION:</b> We found that practice of water aerobics contributes to the improvement and maintenance of functional autonomy of the elderly. Increased autonomy positively affects self-esteem and ultimately enhances the quality of life of the elderly.</p>