Efetividade de um programa de exercícios domiciliares para idosos sedentários com o Nintendo WII®

Abstract

Studies by the Ministry of Health indicate that Brazilians are exercising more. In recent years, the percentage of people who exercise at least 150 minutes per week increased from 18% to 36% in 2015, but the elderly are the least active physically. The aging process leads to biopsychosocial changes in humans and, consequently, increases vulnerability among the elderly. Thus, many studies indicate that physical activity promotes changes in the habits and lifestyle of the elderly; therefore, they can control or delay the onset of chronic diseases, as well as prolong the physical functions and maintain their independence in the activities of daily living. Therefore, the present study aimed to verify the effectiveness of a home exercise program in physical and psychological dimensions in the elderly through the practice of the Nintendo Wii®. Thus, a randomized clinical trial was conducted, composed of 24 elderly individuals, who were divided into two groups: experimental and control. The groups were evaluated before and after the intervention period. The results showed a reduction in time spent on the Timed Up and Go test and trails, but only for the experimental group (p <0.05). In addition, higher scores were observed in the satisfaction of life questionnaire answers to the following questions: "my life is close to my ideal" and "if I could live my life again I would not change almost anything", with (p <0.05) for both comparisons, only in the experimental group. On the other hand, no differences were detected for baropodometry in the experimental group after the intervention period nor were any differences identified for the control group (p> 0.05). Based on the answers of this research, we conclude that the intervention through video game was effective regarding the variables: agility, attention and satisfaction with life.