Aerobic Capacity of Elderly Women Engaged in Controlled Physical Activity

作者：Lucena da Cunha Rubens Cesar; Ferreira Marcia de Assuncao; Bezerra Jane Cleria Pereira; Guerra Ialuska; Dantas Estelio Henrique Martin

来源：Journal of Human Kinetics, 2010, 23: 63-69.

• physical exercise
• aerobic capacity
• six-minute walking test (WT6)
• elderly women

The objective of this study was to evaluate the aerobic capacity of elderly participants in the family health program at Health Municipal Secretary, who were submitted to a regular program of physical exercise This experimental study had a sample size of 98 hypertensive elderly women The sample was divided randomly into an experimental group (EG, n=58, age 67 +/- 6 years) and a control group (CG, n=40, age 70 +/- 6 years) Aerobic capacity was evaluated by a six-minute walking test (WT6) The intervention program was conducted three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), between 17 00 and 17 45 hours, with an intensity that varied from 55% to 75% of the theoretical maximum heart rate Student's paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests were utilised in the intra-group analysis (for homogenous or heterogeneous distributions of the data, respectively) An ANOVA two-way parametric test was used to evaluate the inter-group data followed by the Scheffe post hoc test A value of p<0 05 was adopted for statistical significance The results revealed an increase in distance travelled in the EG in the post-test relative to the pretest (Delta = 70 58 m, p<0 0001) and relative to the CG post-test (Delta = 116 58 m, p<0 0001) Furthermore, the CG travelled less distance in the post-test than in the pre-test (Delta = -0 78 m, p = 0 003) Therefore, we infer that a walking; regimen of controlled intensity improves the distance travelled by elderly women in the WT6 by increasing their aerobic capacity

• 出版日期2010-3