Comparison of morpho-physiological variables in elderly women with different levels of physical activity

Abstract

Currently, the improvement of quality of life in aging is a recent concern; recent research literature tends to find positive relationships between physical activity and the mitigation of physiological deterioration during the aging process, which increases the relevance of physical training programs in public health related to the elderly. In the Physiology Laboratory of the Universidad Libre de Cali in 2014, a comparative study of morphological variables (weight, height, waist, hip, skin folds, body fat percentage and abdomino-gluteal index), physiological variables (resting heart rate, immediate post-exertion heart rate, heart rate at one minute of recovery and oxygen saturation percentage), and spirometrororic variables (heart rate at one minute of recovery and oxygen saturation percentage) was carried out, spirometrororic variables (forced expiratory volume at the first second and forced vital capacity) and a resting electrocardiogram, in a group of elderly women, with regular High Physical Activity Level versus irregular Moderate Physical Activity Level, an average age of 61.3 years, a minimum age of 57 and a maximum age of 67 years. The electrocardiogram was performed to determine alterations of any type that would preclude inclusion in the study. The level of physical activity was determined by the criteria established by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. This study showed a comparative improvement of morpho-functional and spirometrororic variables in the population of swimmers who practice physical activity on a regular basis versus non-swimmers who perform moderate walking on an irregular basis and who belong to the same gender and age group.