Shintaido in the elderly: The new way for physical and psychological health

Abstract

The research aims to investigate the effects of a Shintaido practice in terms of physical and psychological functioning in a group of elderly. Forty seniors, of both gender, with a mean age of (69 ± 6) years, self-sufficient and without highly invalidating diseases participated in the study. The experimental group (EG) attended the Shintaido physical training of 20 weeks (1 hour per session, twice a week), while the control group (CG) maintained his usual routine. The exercise protocol included specific activities of joint mobility, balance and breathing. At the begin and at the end of intervention were administered to both groups the following validated instruments: 1) One-leg Stance test for the measure of monopodalic static balance; 2) 6-Minutes Walking test for the endurance assessment; 3) Self-Efficacy Perception in Physical Activity (APEF) questionnaire for the selfefficacy evaluation. Data were treated with the not-parametric test for paired and unpaired samples, the Spearman correlation and the linear regression. The results show that: 1) the EG improves the endurance in walking and the monopodalic balance as well as his self-efficacy after the Shintaido program; 2) there are strong associations among Shintaido physical activity and physical/psychological variables; 3) there is a mediating effect of walking endurance between the participation to Shintaido training and the self-efficacy. The results suggest that a well structured Shintaido training can help to maintain a good level of physical and psychological functioning in old people.

Effects of 1 Year of Lifestyle Intervention on Institutionalized Older Adults

“…Moreover, engaging in a physical activity and having an active life is one of the first steps to reduce functional decline and fear of falling [23], especially in particularly vulnerable individuals, such as people living in longterm care settings. Previous literature [24][25][26][27][28][29] suggests that physical training programs, such as balance and functional training can improve balance and mobility, Activity of Daily Living (ADL) performance and the general quality of life in older adults living in long-term care settings.…”

An exploratory investigation of changes in gait parameters with age in elderly Japanese women

“…For instance, Japan has one of the highest life expectancies, with Japanese women living to an average of 87 years old (World Health Organization 2016 ). Increases in the elderly population and life expectancy are related to quality of life (Demura et al 2012 ; Roppolo et al 2012 ), which is influenced by many factors, such as physical activity, environmental factors, social interaction, and demographics (Drewnoski and Evans 2001 ; Pernambuco et al 2012 ; Sun et al 2015 ; Heesch et al 2015 ; Gao and Li 2016 ).…”