The Impact of Exercise Training on Physical Activity among Elderly Women in the Community: A Pilot Study

Abstract

According to a survey conducted by the Taiwanese government, the elderly spend most of their time watching TV for their daily leisure activities, and most do not pant or sweat during exercise. Relevant studies have shown that physical activity has benefits and importance for the physical functions of the elderly. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise training on the functional fitness of elderly females in the community. The women subjects were from the community of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. In total, 34 females were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. The ages of the subjects ranged from 65 to 80 years old, with an average age of 75.13. The experimental group continued their physical activity intervention for 20 weeks. The control group had no training plan. The results of the study showed that after 20 weeks of intervention, participants in the intervention group experienced improvements in back grasping, right-hand grip strength, sitting to standing, right hip flexion, right knee extension, right ankle dorsiflexion, right sitting forward extension balance, and sitting back around objects. Six-minute walking distances also showed a significant difference in all cases. The results demonstrated that the 20-week physical activity program intervention used in this study can assist in improving back grasping, right-hand grip strength, sitting to standing, right-hand sitting posture, forward balance, sitting back around objects, and six-minute walking distance among older women in the community. In summary, we recommend a moderate-intensity physical activity exercise program for older women in the community.