Effects of physical activity in declarative memory, functional capacity and quality of life in elderly

Life expectancy of the elderly population has increased in recent years, and the aging process may be accompanied by functional capacity, physical and cognitive decline in the elderly. In cognitive functions, memory appears as one of their main complaints. This study aimed to analyze the declarative memory, functional capacity and quality of life in active and insufficiently active seniors, in order to observe whether physical activity positively affects these variables. This is a cross-sectional study, which included two groups of comparison, active (G1) and insufficiently active seniors (G2), aged over 60, living in the city of Santa Maria-RS. The evaluation consisted of the following instruments: the Emotional Memory Test, the Katz Index and Short Form Health Survey: SF-36. Results showed that the elderly group G1 showed higher scores in both the memory and the quality of life when compared to G2. Concerning the functional capacity for basic activities of daily living, assessed by the Katz Index, there was no statistically significant difference between groups, but when we observe the results of the functional capacity variable assessed by the SF-36, G1 showed better results with statistically significant differences as compared with G2. Because of the importance of physical activity in the delay of the declines from aging, it is necessary to create strategies for the participation of the elderly in group activities, contributing to the improvement of quality of life, independence and participation.近年来，老年人群的预期寿命有所提升，而衰老进程往往伴随老年群体的功能能力、躯体与认知功能衰退。在认知功能维度中，记忆障碍是老年群体最主要的主诉之一。本研究旨在分析运动充足与运动不足老年人的陈述性记忆（declarative memory）、功能能力与生活质量，以探讨体力活动是否对上述指标产生积极影响。本研究为横断面研究（cross-sectional study），纳入了居住于南里奥格兰德州圣玛丽亚市的60岁以上老年人，分为运动充足组（G1）与运动不足组（G2）两个对照队列。本次评估采用以下工具：情绪记忆测试（Emotional Memory Test）、卡茨指数（Katz Index）以及简明健康调查问卷SF-36（Short Form Health Survey: SF-36）。研究结果显示，相较于G2组，G1组老年人在记忆功能与生活质量维度上的得分均更高。在采用卡茨指数评估的日常基本活动功能能力方面，两组间未观察到具有统计学意义的差异；但在采用SF-36评估的功能能力指标上，G1组得分更优，且组间差异具有统计学意义。鉴于体力活动对延缓衰老相关功能衰退具有重要意义，亟需制定相关策略以推动老年人参与集体体力活动，从而助力其生活质量、自理能力与社会参与度的提升。