Effects of active exergames training on physical functional performance in older females ; Efectos del entrenamiento de exergames activos sobre el rendimiento físico funcional en mujeres mayores

Objective: To analyze the effects of 8 weeks of an active exergames training program on walking speed, static balance, timed up-and-go test, and sit-to-stand performance in older females. Methods: Two groups of participants were formed by block-design randomization as follows: (i) control group (n=12; age, 74.1±7.9 years); (ii) 8 week exergames training group (n=13; age, 75.6±9.1 years). Training was undertaken three times per week, including athletic, bowling and table tennis exergames. Each exergame had a duration of 8 min, with 2 min of recovery between exergames. The intensity of the training sessions was controlled using the 10-point rating of perceived exertion scale. Results: Group×time interactions were observed for the 4 m walking speed test, static balance test, timed up-and-go test and the 5-repetition sit-to-stand test (all p<0.01; d=0.46–0.80). Conclusion: Exergames training improve physical functional performance in older females. These results should be considered when designing appropriate and better training programs for older adults, since active exergames training it is an affordable and low-cost alternative for community centres and preventive health units working with this population. ; Objetivo: Analizar los efectos de 8 semanas de un programa de entrenamiento de exergames activos sobre la velocidad de la marcha, el equilibrio estático, la prueba de levantarse caminar y volver a sentarse en mujeres mayores. Métodos: Se formaron dos grupos de participantes mediante aleatorización de diseño de bloques de la siguiente manera: (i) grupo de control (n = 12; edad, 74,1 ± 7,9 años); (ii) grupo de entrenamiento de exergames de 8 semanas (n = 13; edad, 75,6 ± 9,1 años). El entrenamiento se llevó a cabo tres veces por semana, incluidos ejercicios de atletismo, bolos y tenis de mesa. Cada exergame tuvo una duración de 8 min, con 2 min de recuperación entre exergames. La intensidad de las sesiones de entrenamiento se controló mediante la calificación de 10 puntos de la escala de esfuerzo percibido. ...