Effects of Physical Activity Governmental Programs on Health Status in Independent Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This systematic review analyzes the evidence of the effects of physical activity governmental programs oriented toward the health of independent older adults. Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection databases were used for data mining, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols recommendations were followed. Five studies (n = 2,545 participants) fulfilled the established inclusion criteria. The physical activity programs had beneficial effects on the older adults' quality of life, fall risk, activities of daily living, physical activity levels, nutritional risk, body mass index, arterial pressure, resting heart rate, blood glucose, triglycerides, and/or cholesterol, but did not significantly alter their body fat mass percentage. Programs involving diverse physical capacities seem to be more effective for healthy aging. It is recommended that governments start to disseminate the outcomes of these programs within society and the scientific community.

The Effects of Physical Exercise on Balance and Prevention of Falls in Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Moreover, in many studies, this percentage was higher in the study group than in the control group; therefore, the result of fewer falls and fallers at follow-up in the study group acquires even more significance in light of these considerations. Valdés-Badilla et al [55] reported the beneficial effects on quality of life, fall risk, activities of daily living, physical activity levels, and blood parameters of governmental physical activity programs for independent older adults. Finally, Tricco et al [56] demonstrated that exercise was associated with a lower risk of injurious falls compared with usual care, but the type of physical activity used to reduce falls should be selected on the basis of patient and caregiver values.…”

¿Bandas elásticas o equipos de gimnasio para el entrenamiento de adultos mayores? (Elastic bands or gym equipment for the training of older adults?)

“…En este contexto, se ha informado que el entrenamiento de resistencia produce mejoras sobre el flujo sanguíneo en hombres y mujeres de mediana edad, sin embargo, se desconoce si los efectos vasculares son similares en los AM (Egana, Reilly, & Green, 2010). Por otra parte, se ha reportado que intervenciones con actividad física que incorporan entrenamiento de fuerza muscular y resistencia aeróbica son claves para el mantenimiento y mejora de la salud cardiovascular y metabólica en los AM (Valdés-Badilla et al, 2019), hecho que reforzaría los resultados encontrados en nuestra investigación que desarrollo un protocolo de entrenamiento basado en la resistencia muscular.…”

“…Los cambios en la capacidad de equilibrio en respuesta a los aumentos de fuerza exhibidos por los AM, posiblemente se deban a un mayor desarrollo de las tasas de torque causadas por una mayor área de la seccioìn transversal de las fibras tipo II (Pavol et al, 2002). Hechos favorables, debido a que el equilibrio dinámico es una actividad compleja que involucra grandes grupos musculares, coordinación y función sensorial (Padilla Colón et al, 2014) y se relaciona con un menor riesgo de caídas en los AM (Valdés-Badilla et al, 2019).…”

“…Si bien existe una tendencia a mejorar la flexibilidad, sólo el tren inferior consigue cambios significativos en ambos grupos de intervención. Esto es coincidente con lo expuesto en otra investigación que reporta mejoras de la flexibilidad en AM (Concha-Cisternas et al, 2017), situación conveniente dado que la flexibilidad se asocia con mayor independencia para desarrollar las actividades de la vida diaria (Valdés-Badilla et al, 2019).…”

Physical activity and mental health in Covid-19 times: an editorial

“…It seems clear the importance of promoting the practice of regular physical activity at all times of life, not only due to its impact on the level of physical health [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] but also on the mental health of citizens. In moments of great psychological and emotional fragility such as the ones we live in, its practice gains even more importance [ 19 ].…”