Gudlaugsson J1, Aspelund T2,3, Gudnason V2, Olafsdottir AS1, Jonsson PV3,4, Arngrimsson SA1, Johannsson E1

 1Center for Research in Sport and Health Sciences, University of Iceland, 2Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland, 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, 4Department of Geriatrics, Landspitali – University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland

Introduction: Good functional performance in elderly people greatly improves their c changes of independence and well-being. Conversely, bad functional performance can impair their capability of managing the activities of daily life.. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effects of a 6-months' multimodal training intervention on the physical performance of males and females, possible gender differences and the outcome  6 and 12 months after its completion. .

Material and methods: This study examined 71–90 year old healthy seniors (n=117)  participating  in the AGES Reykjavik Study. It  was a randomized and controlled cross-over trial, conducted in three 6-months' phases (time-points). After enrollment and baseline assessments, the study group was divided in two. Group 1 received 6-months' training while group 2 served as a control. In the second 6 months' phase, group 1 received no formal training while group 2 did. In the third phase, neither group received training. The groups' physical conditions were assessed after each phase.

Results: After 6-months' training, 32% improvement was seen in physical activity among males (p<0.001) and 39% among females (p<0.001). In physical performance, 5% improvement was seen for males (p<0.01) and 7% for females (p<0.001). Strength increased by 8% for males (p<0.001) and 13% for females (p<0.001). For both sexes, about 10% increase was seen in dynamic balance in the 8-foot up-and-go test (p<0.001) and 5–6% in walking distance for both sexes in the six minutes walking test (p<0.001). For both sexes, body mass index decreased by about 2% (p<0.001). No difference was seen between the sexes.in the training results.  Both sexes retained long-term effects of the training on physical performance and dynamic balance for at least 12 months.

Conclusions: Multimodal training intervention has positive effects on physical performance in  older individuals, the sexes respond similarly  to the training and retain achieved improvement  for at least 12 months. The research indicates that moderate and systemic training for this age group could be a part of conventional health service for this age group.

Keywords: Aging, training, functional performance, muscle strength, six-minute walking test

Correspondence: Janus Guðlaugsson, janus@hi.is