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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01558401

Efficiency of Physical Activity on the Physical Condition of Elderly Women

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects and the efficiency of an adapted physical activity program as regards the physical condition of older Brazilian women.

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Key information

Conditions

Aging Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

60 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos

São Carlos, São Paulo, 13.565-905, Brazil

About this study

Although physical activity programs for the elderly have proved to be able to curb harmful changes due to ageing, not all programs show the same effectiveness, even though they are generally regarded as being effective. The existence of a wide variety of programs calls for debate about their outcomes.

Specific research tools and designs can assist in identifying not only program effectiveness but also program efficiency and use in terms of a better physical performance of subjects on carrying out exercises with less effort, influenced by multiple factors, one of them being adherence to the program. These analyses allow the influence of efficiency and the factors that determine it or are associated with it to be tested, and can provide classifications and subgroups to which interventions should be adapted if they are to offer the best service to them in the short and medium term.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 60 or more years
  • participants of an Adult Revitalization Program in São Carlos (São Paulo State - Brazil)

Exclusion criteria

  • physical characteristics and previous health problems that might hinder their participation in the program activities.
  • adherence to the program sessions lower than 75%.

Treatment and study plan

Physical activity program

Other

The activities are done in groups of no more than 25 individuals; these activities are standardized and agreed upon by the research team, which hold monthly meetings to conduct the study. Each physical activity session consists of 8-10 minutes of exercises aimed at stretching the major muscle groups (pectoral muscles, latissimus dorsi, cervical paravertebral, and posterior and anterior thigh muscles); 9 minutes of aerobic endurance activity (march/fast walk); 7-10 minutes of adapted strength exercises, power, and endurance training; 14-16 minutes of coordination, agility, and flexibility exercises, and 5-7 minutes of respiratory and relaxation exercises.

Primary outcomes

  1. Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

    Time frame: 1 year

    Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a test of operational investigation It was used to determine the relative efficiency of the older women, considered Decision Making Units (DMU). This analysis supports the hypothesis that the outputs do not need to be proportional to the inputs.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Grip strength

    Time frame: 1 year

    Grip strength was measured using a Sammons Preston Swedley-Type hand dynamometer (Jamar® Bolingbrook IL, 60440). The test was performed three times on the dominant upper limb at 10-second intervals between each run. The grip strength assigned to each participant was the highest of the three values measured. Subjects were guided to hold the grip meter during exhalation without performing the Valsalva maneuver; they were encouraged verbally throughout the test.

  2. Sit-and-Reach Test

    Time frame: 1 year

    The Sit-and-Reach Test was employed to evaluate the participants' flexibility of the posterior trunk and lower limbs. The movement was performed three times. The flexibility assigned to subjects was the highest value measured.

  3. Static balance

    Time frame: 1 year

    Static balance was verified by the One-Leg Stance Test with eyes open31. The subjects gazed at a fixed point two meters away for no more than 30 seconds, with one leg bent at the knee. The test was done three times with open and closed eyes and for both legs, taking into account for each condition (open or closed eyes) the mean value of the measures.

  4. Dynamic balance

    Time frame: 1 year

    Dynamic balance was evaluated by the Maximum Gait Velocity (MGV). The subjects were instructed to walk along a 33.3cm-wide and 3.33m-long band painted on the floor in the shortest possible time. The test was performed three times. The dynamic balance value assigned to each subject was the mean time walking along the band.

  5. VO2max

    Time frame: 1 year

    The Rockport 1-Mile Walk Test was used to determine the subjects' physical condition estimated by the VO2max

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of an Adapted Physical Activity Program on the Physical Condition of Elderly Women: an Analysis of Efficiency

Important dates

Study start
2010
Primary completion
2011
Study completion
2011
First posted
Mar 20, 2012
Registry last updated
Mar 20, 2012

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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