title: Correlation of physical aptitude; functional capacity, corporal balance and quality of life (QoL) among elderly women submitted to a post-menopausal physical activities program.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of physical activity from the "Menopause in Form" program on physical aptitude, functional capacity, corporal balance and QoL among elderly women. In addition, correlations among these variables were examined. The present work was a longitudinal study that was quasi-experimental and correlational. A total of 323 elderly women (age: 69.0±5.53 years) participated in this study. Subjects were non-institutionalized, post-menopausal individuals residing at the Elderly Care Center in Belém Municipality (Pará, Brazil) and practiced one activity (i.e., dancing or walking) over a 10-month period. The assessment protocols used were the following: the Fullerton functional fitness test battery (physical aptitude); the activities of daily living (ADL) indices (functional capacity); the Tinetti-scale (corporal balance); and the WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire (QoL). The adopted significance level was p<0.05. Results from the Wilcoxon test demonstrated significant differences for the post-test assessment of functional capacity (Δ%=5.63%; p=0.0001) and general QoL (Δ%=9.19%; p=0.001). These results suggest that the physical activities employed during the "Menopause in Form" program resulted in significant improvements in the functional capacity and QoL of post-menopausal elderly women.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Trás-Dos-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal. cesylamazon@gmail.com
authors.forename: César Augusto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Souza Santos
authors.forename: Estélio Enrique Martin
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Maria Helena Rodrigues
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Moreira
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination; D010809:Physical Fitness; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking