RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The population ageing occurring worldwide resulted in multiple researches on sedentary ageing and quality of life. PURPOSE: To verify the effects of a physical activity programme on the quality of life (QOL) of elderly individuals served by a governmental health programme. DESIGN: Descriptive inquiry research. METHODS: Randomly distributing 70 elderly individuals in a control group (n=35; mean±SD 69.80±8.05 years) and an experimental group (n=35; 68.66±5.93 years) plus QOL evaluation via WHOQOL-Old. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant best results on the post-test by repeated-measures ANOVA on sensorial functioning (Δ%=0.022%, p=0. 0001), social participation (Δ%=0.012%, p=0.013), perceptions of death and dying (Δ%=0.04%, p=0.009), intimacy (Δ%=0.059%, p=0.05), and total score (Δ%=0.001, p=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Sensorial functioning, social participation, perceptions of death and dying, and intimacy play an important role in the positive relationship between physical activity and QOL.
Assuntos
Programas Governamentais , Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Atividade Motora , Qualidade de Vida , Idoso , Brasil , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Comportamento Sedentário , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The shift in age structure is having a profound impact, suggesting that the aged should be consulted as reporters on the quality of their own lives. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to establish the possible impact of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques on the quality of life (QOL) of the elderly. SAMPLE: Two non-selected, volunteer groups of Rio de Janeiro municipality inhabitants: a control group (36 individuals), not using TCM, and an experimental group (28 individuals), using TCM at ABACO/Sohaku-in Institute, Brazil. METHODS: A questionnaire on elderly QOL devised by the World Health Organization, the WHOQOL-Old, was adopted and descriptive statistical techniques were used: mean and standard deviation. The Shapiro-Wilk test checked the normality of the distribution. Furthermore, based on its normality distribution for the intergroup comparison, the Student t test was applied to facets 2, 4, 5, 6, and total score, and the Mann-Whitney U rank test to facets 1 and 3, both tests aiming to analyze the P value between experimental and control groups. The significance level utilized was 95% (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The experimental group reported the highest QOL for every facet and the total score. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that TCM raises the level of QOL.