Aspectos cardiorrespiratório, neuromuscular e a qualidade de vida percebida por mulheres em diferentes grupos de exercício físico

Abstract

New aging possibilities reflect social advances that echo as new habits and lifestyles. The practice of physical exercise reveals multiple benefits coming naturally with aging. Given this, a transversal study analyzed the cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular aspects, as well as the quality of life perceived by 45 women from 50 to 60 years old divided in three groups: combined exercise (strength and aerobics), volleyball, and sedentary. For the cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular analysis, it was assessed the body mass (BM), stature (STA), body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), peakoxygen onsumption(VO2peak), handgrip strength (HGS), and flexibility (FLEX). To assess the quality of life perceived, it was used a Portuguese abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument, the WHOQOL-Bref. Levels of satisfaction with the quality of life for physical and psychological domains, social and environmental relations were verified. Results were statistically analyzed by the variance analysis ANOVA with the post-hoc Tukey test (p≤0.05). Based on the results, it was noted that the practitioners of combined exercise have a BMI considered normal; however, the ones that practice volleyball or are sedentary were classified as type 1 obese. Nevertheless, in the VO2peak, volleyball practitioners obtained higher results. It was also verified low flexibility indexes in all groups, as with all data from sedentary women. Levels of satisfaction with the quality of life found for the different domains were significant for combined exercises and volleyball, showing differences among domains. Yet, in sedentary women, there were no significant differences presenting homogeneity of values, which were inferior to the women who practiced physical exercise. Results allow concluding that the different types of physical exercises greatly influence the variables assessed, so much that the flexibility variable showed low indexes mainly because of the lack of specific exercise. It was found that physical exercise must be linked to social relations and self-esteem, as noted in volleyball practitioners, revealing itself as a form of protection, promotion, and health prevention positively influencing welfare and quality of life