Aceitação e adequação de um protocolo de exercícios de flexibilidade, força e equilíbrio para longevos

Abstract

Introduction: Among the changes of the aging process, we have those related to the musculoskeletal system, like the loss of muscle strength that is related to a variety of adverse outcomes, between them, stands out the loss of functional capacity, which is very important to maintain an independent and autonomous life. Among the alternatives to minimize these losses is the practice of physical exercises. We observed that oldest-old people are not frequent in physical exercise programs and that there are no studies that evaluate the acceptance and adequacy of protocols for them, justifying the performance of this study. Objective: To study the acceptance and adequacy of an exercise protocol in oldest-old. Methodology: Quasi-experimental study with initial, intermediate and post-intervention evaluation. The functional capacity assessment was carried out by the Vivifrail test (Short Physical Performance Battery and 4 falls risk assessment tests), by videoconference at the three moments of the project. For twelve weeks, the older adults performed multicomponent ViviFrail exercises with monitoring and acceptance assessment (with a maximum score of 24 points) by weekly contact by videoconference. Results: This study concluded 14 oldest-old (89.07 ± 6.30 years). In the 12 weeks, the participants showed an average increase of 4.2 points in acceptance, with a significant correlation (p <0.001). It was possible to observe an improvement in the functional capacity of the oldest old, although not significant, with a decrease in the time to perform the Time Up and Go tests, sit and stand, and in walking time, which is the most evident change. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a home training program with weekly monitoring by videoconference was well accepted and suitable for oldest-old people in a period of social isolation imposed by COVID-19. In addition, it proved to be an effective intervention for maintaining and improving the functional capacity of oldest-old people.