PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FUNCTIONAL FITNESS IN ELDERLY LIVING IN NURSING HOMES OR USING DAY CARE CENTERS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Resumo

Introduction. The loss of physical functions, health problems, limited support from families and few financial resources, leads to institutionalization (Sullivan & Asselin, 2013). Currently, one of the problems associated with institutionalization is the higher sedentary behavior and consequent loss of autonomy (Liu & Hu, 2015). Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine physical activity levels and functional fitness of older adults living in nursing homes or using day care center.

Method. Thirty-two older adults (85.5 ± 5.7 years) from both genders participated in this study; 14 nursing home residents and 18 day care center users. Physical activity data were collected through accelerometry. Functional fitness were evaluated with physical fitness field tests.

Results: The participants of this study have extremely low levels of functional fitness and physical activity and high levels of sedentary behavior. In nursing home residents (NH), the mean time in sedentary behavior and moderate physical activity was 9h48min/day and 2.2 min/day, respectively. In the same group, the mean time spent in light physical activity was 77.5 min/day. In day care center (DCC) users the mean time in sedentary behavior and moderate physical activity was 7h48min/day and 1.6 min/day, respectively. Older adults attending DCC showed better results than nursing home residents in the chair sit-and-reach test (DCC= -12.4±15.7 cm, NH= -22.3±4.1 cm, p=0.037), 6 min walk (DCC= 270±73.9 min, NH= 167.7±84.4 min, p<0.001) sedentary time (DCC= 7.48±0.2 hours, NH= 9.48±0.94 hours, p<0.01) and average physical activity (DCC= 82.6±18 counts/min, NH= 58.5±30.5 counts/min, p=0.03). The performance in other variables of functional fitness was not statistically different.

Conclusions: Functional fitness and physical activity levels are very low in nursing home residents and in elderly users of day care center. Intervention programs are needed for these groups to reverse the decrease of physical fitness and physical activity, and promoting health and functional status.