The Effects of Physical Activity in the Functional Physical Condition and

Stability of Senior Citizen in the Altamira Neighborhood Tunja

By Anuar Alud Sora from Humanities Department

and Gladis Leonor Arias Rodríguez from Languages Department

Abstract

The aging process begins when there are gradual deterioration of organs and
associated functions; this leads to a number of cardiovascular, respiratory,
metabolic changes, skeletal muscle, motor, among others; it reduces the
exercise capacity and resistance people have to physical stress; thus, the
senior citizens reduce their autonomy, quality of life, ability and motor learning
capability.
From this perspective, a healthy senior citizen is able to face his own process of
change to an appropriate level of functional adaptability and satisfaction.
Additionally, the concept of independence is elementary within the definition of
health for the senior citizens. Therefore, it is important how the functional
independence is defined and addressed as the ability to accomplish the
required actions in daily life, in order to maintain the body and survive in an
independent way, when the body and the mind are coherent with context people
live.
Key words: senior citizens, physical activity, functional physical condition and
Stability

General purpose:

To determine the effects of a physical activity program on functional fitness in

the senior citizens at the Altamira neighborhood Tunja.

Specific objectives:
  Design the physical activity program according to the senior citizens’
health and the socioeconomic status at the Altamira neighborhood.
 Evaluate the effects of the physical activities program in relation to the
equilibrium, walk and physical coordination of the senior citizens at the
Altamira neighborhood.
 To determine the incidence of the physical activity program related to the
senior citizens’ daily activities at the Altamira neighborhood.

Theoretical Framework

The response to exercise in senior citizens has been widely evidenced, its
regular practice has contributed to the improving this population’s quality of life.
The assessment of the physical condition is a necessary step in the process of
prescribing physical exercise just like the assessment before starting the
exercise program. A balanced program should include activities to achieve each
of the objectives of a good physical activity.

Functional autonomy

Functionality or functional independence is understood as the ability to

accomplish the required actions in daily life, to maintain the human body and
survive independently; when the body and the mind are able to carry out
activities of daily life, the functionality is harmless.

Motor coordination.

The definition of motor coordination as "system" is resented in partial

movements, force impulses, muscle contractions and all the variety of
physiological processes, which are the essence of people’s life.

The equilibrium.

In the field of human movement, balance refers to aspects related to movement

and posture. The dynamics of body posture prevents falls produced by the force
that act on the body and the inertial characteristics of body segments. From the
point of view of physics, the balance has to be with the forces which act on the
body and have to be with its performance.

The most interesting thing is that most slowness of this age is a great reduction
in stride length due to the cadence, as a normal process of human being
development. This effect has negative consequences for other activities such as
the movement of the arms, reducing in the rotation of hips, knees and ankles,
and also the increase of the period of orthostatic standing positions, and a
flatter foot contact with the ground during the orthostatic phase before takeoff of
the toes.

Methodology

This research has a cross-sectional design where researchers established the

study group framed within the pre experimental method to implement a pre-test
and post-test only in one group (control); the functional autonomy (dependent
variable) was measured before and after developing the program through a
variety of physical activities (independent variable); the pre-test and post-test
were applied to group of senior citizens selected at random, I contributes to
establish the criteria for inclusion and exclusion according to the variables
applied.

This research gathered functional autonomy collect information taking into

account their indicators, data was collected using the protocol of Dantas and
Barthel’s questioners; they were applied before and after physical activities. It
allowed perceiving if there are changes or not according to the indicators, which
made it possible to determine the effectiveness of the program. It was also used
a minimal control because only a single group made part of this study; the
design is as follows:
Quasi-experimental study was done with control and experiment group of 20
senior citizens of about 50 years old. it was measured the functional capacity
through the battery Senior Fitness Test and the risk of falls by the scale of
Tinetti, before and after the exercise program, it was applied during 12 weeks.
Conclusions

Functional autonomy was developed in the senior citizens so that it could

contribute with their activities in daily living, in order to avoid the help from other
people and also to motivate their autonomy. This proposal aimed to encourage
this population to solve emotional and physical ongoing needs. However it was
done under the Social projection program projected by the USTA Tunja in order
to generate new strategies of maintenance and functionality of independence
and autonomy.
The response to exercise in senior citizens has been widely evidenced and the
regular practice contributed to improve the quality of life. The assessment of the
physical condition is a necessary step in the process of prescribing physical
exercise population. A balanced program was included based on activities that
achieved each objective as a way to promote good physical activity.

The different activities help to increase the flexibility, strength and

cardiovascular work in three components: physical heating, exercising or
workout and return to calm. It was designed to respond the needs of health,
solve medical cases, of senior citizens in particular.

It was shown those who practice physical exercise and sports get healthier and
aesthetic appearance; it contributes to preserve vital and physical strength; it
helps to maintain and restore people’s physical and mental balance, it strengths
the skeletal muscle system, it contributes to prevent osteoporosis and bone
fractures, It helps to prevent arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular aging
problems, it improves the endocrine function, mainly from the adrenal (stress
resistance and adaptation), favoring the autonomic balance and psycho-
intellectual activity.
Pictures taken from Google