<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><italic>Study aim</italic>: To evaluate the effects of the ‘Menopause-in-Shape Programme’ on physical fitness of elderly women.<italic>Material and methods</italic>: A group of 323 elderly women lodged in the House for the Elderly participated in a 10-month programme (dancing or walking) and formed the experimental group. Another group of 289 elderly women (control) were sedentary throughout the study. All of them aged 60 - 89 years. Both groups were subjected to the Fullerton Functional Fitness Test battery: chair stand test (CST), arm curl test (ACT), 6-min walk test (6-WT), 2-min step test (2-ST), chair sit and reach test (SRT), scratch test (SCT) and 8-foot up and go test (8-UG).<italic>Results</italic>: In the experimental group, improvements were noted in CST (by 11.7%; p&lt;0.001), ACT (by 9%; p&lt;0.001), 2-ST (by 2.2%; p&lt;0.001) and 8-UG (by 0.4%; p&lt;0.05) but not in somatic variables. No significant changes were noted in the control group.<italic>Conclusions</italic>: The Menopause-in-Shape Programme is an efficient tool in improving physical fitness of elderly women even if no somatic effects can be expected.</abstract>

Study aim: To evaluate the effects of the ‘Menopause-in-Shape Programme’ on physical fitness of elderly women.Material and methods: A group of 323 elderly women lodged in the House for the Elderly participated in a 10-month programme (dancing or walking) and formed the experimental group. Another group of 289 elderly women (control) were sedentary throughout the study. All of them aged 60 - 89 years. Both groups were subjected to the Fullerton Functional Fitness Test battery: chair stand test (CST), arm curl test (ACT), 6-min walk test (6-WT), 2-min step test (2-ST), chair sit and reach test (SRT), scratch test (SCT) and 8-foot up and go test (8-UG).Results: In the experimental group, improvements were noted in CST (by 11.7%; p<0.001), ACT (by 9%; p<0.001), 2-ST (by 2.2%; p<0.001) and 8-UG (by 0.4%; p<0.05) but not in somatic variables. No significant changes were noted in the control group.Conclusions: The Menopause-in-Shape Programme is an efficient tool in improving physical fitness of elderly women even if no somatic effects can be expected.

Physical fitness of post-menopausal women submitted to a physical activities programme

Universidade Trás-Dos-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) - Vila Real, Portugal

Human Motricity Biosciences Laboratory of the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, LABIMH-UNIRIO/RJ, Brazil

Biomedical Human Kinetics

Study aim: To evaluate the effects of the ‘Menopause-in-Shape Programme’ on physical fitness of elderly women.Material and methods: A group of 323 elderly...

Physical fitness of post-menopausal women submitted to a physical activities programme

Published Online: Dec 08, 2010

Page range: 93 - 96

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10101-010-0023-9

Keywords
Physical fitness, Elderly women, Physical activity

This content is open access.

Physical fitness of post-menopausal women submitted to a physical activities programme

Published Online: Dec 08, 2010

Page range: 93 - 96

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10101-010-0023-9

KeywordsPhysical fitness, Elderly women, Physical activity

This content is open access.

Keywords
Physical fitness, Elderly women, Physical activity