Ageing with joy: the effect of a physical activity program on the well-being of older people

Summary:

In most developing countries a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of chronic disease and disability and may result in more difficulties performing activities of daily living. The knowledge of physical activity interventions executed on sedentary elderly has been based more on research performed in European and North American countries and not in developing countries.

Therefore we undertook a study to ascertain the impact of physical activity on the life of sedentary elderly in a developing country. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a versatile one-year physical activity program for elderly in a multi-ethnical and multicultural environment, living in Paramaribo .

In Paramaribo , Suriname , 241 elderly aged 60-98 years, were selected and divided at random into an experimental and a control group. A physical activity program was offered to the experimental group while the control group was placed on a waiting list and started with the program eight months after baseline. Physical fitness measurements by means of a validated fitness test, together with a perceived fitness test, took place at baseline, after three, six, and twelve months.

The results of this study will form the basis of the PhD thesis within the regulations of the Eric Bleumink Fund.