Physical activity and functional fitness in elderly living in nursing homes or using day care center: an exploratory study.

Abstract

Introduction. The loss of physical function, health problems, limited sup- port from families and few financial resources, leads to institutionaliza- tion. Currently, one of the problems associated with institutionalization is the higher sedentary behavior and consequent loss of autonomy. There- fore, the main purpose of this study was to examine physical activity (PA) 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 (women=24; men=8) participated in this study; 14 nursing home resi- dents and 18-day care center users. Physical activity data were collect- ed through accelerometry. Functional fitness was evaluated with physi- cal fitness field tests. Results: The participants of this study have extremely low levels of func- tional fitness and PA and high levels of sedentary behavior. In nursing home residents (NH), the mean time in sedentary behavior and moder- ate PA was 9h48min/day and 2.2 min/day, respectively. In the same group, the mean time spent in light PA was 77.5 min/day. In day care center (DCC) users the mean time in sedentary behavior and moderate PA was 7h48min/day and 1.6 min/day, respectively. Older adults at- tending 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 walking test (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 PA (DCC= 82.6±18 counts/min, NH= 58.5±30.5 counts/min, p=0.03). The performance in other tests (30-s chair stand; back scratch; arm curl; 8 foot up-and-go) of functional fit- ness was not statistically different. Conclusions: Functional fitness and PA levels are very low both in older adults living in nursing homes or in those that are users of DCC. Inter- vention programs are needed for these groups to reverse the decrease of physical fitness and PA, and promoting health and functional status.