The effects of a movement competence programme on the functional capacity, self-perception and resilience of older adult women

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Global aging is occurring at an unprecedented rate. South Africa has thehighest proportion of older adults in Southern Africa, with nearly 7% of thepopulation over the age of 60 years in 1997. However, although people are livinglonger, statistics show that they are not necessarily living healthier. The majorityof women who outlive men have to deal with more chronic diseases as well as apoorer functional status than the latter. The purpose of the present study was toimplement a movement competence programme suited to the needs of SouthAfrican older adult women; requiring inexpensive apparatus and that can beperformed in any environment.A time-series design was used which included follow up testing 9 monthsafter the cessation of the movement competence programme. The interventiongroup consisted out of 21 (76.14±5.44 years) older adult women, who wererandomly selected from a retirement village. The movement competenceprogramme was broad based in nature and was performed in two one hourlysessions a week for 12 weeks. After pre-tests of functional capacity, selfperceptionand resilience, the older adult women were tested using the PhysicalSelf-Perception Profile (Fox & Corbin, 1989) and the Resilience Scale (Connor &Davidson, 2003) respectively. Significant improvements (p<0.05) were observedin the Berg Balance Scale, 8-Foot Up-and-Go and the Physical Self-Perception'sresults of the older adult women. No significant (p>0.05) difference was noted inthe Barthel Index and Resilience Scale after the 12-week movement competenceprogramme. Follow up testing indicated a significant improvement in the resilienceof the older adult women who continued to exercise, compared to those that chosea sedentary lifestyle after the movement competence programme.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University