Home Physical Exercise Improves Functional Mobility And Quality Of Life In The Elderly: A Consort-Prospective, Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial

Aims To test the hypothesis of a semi-supervised home physical exercise programme that is likely to improve the functional mobility and quality of life (QOL) of elderly in the community.Methods This trial included elderly adults (88% female) aged 60 years or older and who were sedentary and without cognitive decline. The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG, home physical exercise and sleep hygiene) and a control group (CG, sleep hygiene). The International Questionnaire on Physical Activity, mental state mini-exam, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests were conducted before and after the 12-week intervention period.Results The study was concluded with 125 elderly participants. Anthropometric data were indicative of pre-obesity, with a mean body mass index of 27.3 +/- 4, a low-income socio-economic profile (78% <= 2 SM) and low schooling rates (76% <= 3 years of study). Most of the elderly (87%) were considered physically active with IPAQ > 150 min/week. The group of elderly people who performed the home physical exercise programme showed a significant improvement in functional mobility according to the time of execution of the TUG test before (9.1 +/- 2) and after (7.1 +/- 1) with an average reduction of 2 +/- 1 s (P < .01). The difference in the QOL of the elderly who participated in the exercise protocol was also observed, verified through the WHOQOL-OLD global score, which presented an initial score of 85 +/- 10, changing to 90.4 +/- 9 after the intervention.Conclusion Semi-supervised physical home exercise is safe and effective in improving the functional mobility and QOL of sedentary elderly people in the community.