Gymnastics and Multicomponent Training Intervention in Community-dwelling Older Adults

University outreach programs should be offered to promote the health and quality of life of the general population, taking into account diverse target audiences. Viewing outreach as an extension of the university into the community, the MOVEGINBA project-registered with PROEXC under number 23132-has been conducted in the Faculty of Education's exercise studio since the first semester of 2025, serving adults, students from various academic programs, and the general public through training activities. Concurrently, the global population is aging rapidly, with significant impacts on economies and healthcare systems. In Brazil, the population aged 65 and older is projected to rise from the current 20 million in 2020 (9.8% of the population) to over 50 million by 2050 (21.8% of the population). Given this scenario, public policies capable of mitigating age-related loss of functional capacity are both urgent and essential. In its report on health and aging, the WHO defined healthy aging as a process requiring the promotion and maintenance of functional capacities that enable individual well-being. Thus, optimizing the health of older adults through strategies that identify high-risk individuals and propose actions to prevent or delay the progression of functional decline appears to be the best approach to reducing the strain on healthcare systems.

In 2017, the WHO published guidelines for healthy development, which address health and well-being and encompass physical activity for individuals. With this perspective in mind, extension activities are encouraged and take place within the university setting, focusing on older adults; to this end, we offer the MOVEGINBA 60+ program-registered with PROEXC under number 23351-which addresses the specific gaps and needs of this demographic. Consequently, gymnastics-based extension projects are conducted at the Federal University of Bahia.

It is essential to understand the implications of such projects for participants regarding emotional health, physical capacity, agility, social interaction, and the intrinsic capacity of older adults. Therefore, this study aims to understand the implications of gymnastics-focused interventions for participants and to analyze their impact on the target population. This initiative is an extension project with a research component-encompassing undergraduate capstone projects and graduate studies-that contributes significantly to people's quality of life.

Conditions: Must be an older adult (over 60 years of age). Must be capable of performing any physical activity independently. Participants may have hypertension, diabetes, or multiple comorbidities, provided they fall within the 1 to 7 range on the Clinical Frailty Scale (ranging from robust to mildly frail).

Inclusion criteria

Community-dwelling older adults (60 years of age or older), and able to travel to the training center.

Exclusion criteria

Score 7, 8 or 9 on the Clinical Frailty Scale and those with any impediment to performing physical exercise.