Body composition and health behaviors among older women attending regular fitness classes: a pilot study

Abstract

Background: The average lifespan is increasing worldwide, although the healthspan and quality of life is not. Many older adults either have a chronic disease, excessive body mass, or do not follow the healthy lifestyle recommendations as for nutrition and physical activity. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the relationship between body composition among senior women and health behaviors in the five domains of nutrition, body care, rest, safety and physical activity. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 36 women attending fitness classes. The Positive Health Behavior Questionnaire was used as the qualitative measurement and participant height, weight and body composition were measured. Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR ), Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) were calculated. Results: Significant correlations (p≤0.05) were found between attending organized physical activities and higher muscle mass and higher BMR. Moreover, (a) sleeping at least six to seven hours at night correlated with a lower BMI and lower body fat mass; (b) spending at least 20–30 minutes a day resting correlated with lower visceral fat; (c) devoting at least 30 minutes daily to moderate or heavy physical exertion correlated with lower body fat mass, percent of body fat and visceral adiposity. Conclusions: The study shows strong relationships between physical activity, dietary patterns, rest, length of sleep, BMI, adiposity and muscle mass of physically active senior women. The results suggest it is necessary to actively promote and support older women in implementing healthy behaviors consistently in their life.

The Effectiveness of Water- versus Land-Based Exercise on Specific Measures of Physical Fitness in Healthy Older Adults: An Integrative Review

“…Participation in sports and physical activities stands as a cornerstone of this endeavor as an effective and easy way [2], presenting a plethora of physical and mental health benefits. In this direction, an increasing body of research and systematic reviews has well documented the effectiveness of land-based exercises (LBE) (i.e., involving activities conducted on solid ground) in improving physical fitness measures [3] including improvements in muscle strength [4], cardiorespiratory fitness [5], bone health [6], balance [7], flexibility [8], body composition [9], and overall quality of life [10] in older adults.…”