3rd meeting of young researchers at UP 1 - IJUP - Universidade do ...

Influence of a physical exercise program in the levels of daily
physical activity and functional fitness in elderly subjects of both
genders
J. Oliveira
Ciafel, Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Portugal
Regular physical activity (PA) is an important contributor to a healthy lifestyle. Aging,
however, is associated with a decline in PA level [1]. Therefore, exercise programs for the
elderly are promoted to improve or maintain physical fitness and health [2]. Despite
widespread use of accelerometers to objectively monitor physical activity among adults and
youth, little attention has been given to older population [3].
The main goal of this study was to evaluate the daily levels of PA and physical and functional
ability (PFA) of two groups of elder people, according to the regular practice of physical
exercise (PE).
The sample comprised 36 individuals ageing 65 and more divided in two distinct groups: a
group of practitioners (GP) and a group of non-practitioners (GNP). The PA levels were
evaluated by accelerometry and PFA through the application of the Senior Fitness Test battery.
After data analysis we used the student t-test for independent measures, the chi-square and the
Pearson’s correlation coefficient.
The results of this study show that a) there are no significant differences (ρ