CAPACIDADE FUNCIONAL E QUALIDADE DE VIDA DE IDOSOS PARTICIPANTES DE PROGRAMAS PÚBLICOS DE EXERCÍCIOS FÍSICOS

Abstract

Population aging has been perceived in many countries around the world, and especially in Brazil. Several challenges arise as demand for the elderly population increases. Maintaining or improving the functional capacity and quality of life of the elderly population has become a major concern in this process. This dissertation was constructed in the form of a scientific article. The first objective was to compare the quality of life of elderly people who attended public physical exercise programs with a control group. A hundred and eight elderly participants from public exercise programs (EG) and 126 non-participants (CG) from the city of Goiânia, GO, Brazil, were analyzed. An initial evaluation form, the Mental State Mini-Exam, the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Life - Old (WHOQOL-OLD). Elderly participants in exercise programs had higher mean scores than non-participants for all WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOLOLD domains (p <0.05). The active elderly of the CG did not present differences in relation to the insufficiently active or sedentary (IAS) of the CG for any WHOQOLBREF or WHOQOL-OLD domain (p≥0.05). Only the functioning domains of sensorimotor and death and dying did not present differences between the active elderly of the EG and the CG (p≥0.05) The second article aimed to compare the functional capacity of elderly participants of public physical exercise programs with a control group. Eighty-eight elderly participants from public exercise programs and 126 non-participants from the city of Goiânia, GO, Brazil, were analyzed. An initial evaluation form, the Mini-Mental State Exam and the short version of the IPAQ were used. The functional capacity of the aged was evaluated using the Barthel Index (IB), Lawton's Index (IL), manual gripping force (FPM), functional range test (FRT), Timed Up and Go (TUG) and the 30-second sit-to-stand (30s STS)., IL, FRT, TUG, 30s STS and for dominant and non-dominant female FPM (p <0.001). Therefore, the elderly who participated in public physical exercise programs presented a better perception of quality of life and functional capacity than the elderly who did not participate.