Influence of muscle strength in the volume and intensity of daily physical activity in elderly

Abstract

Reduction in the volume daily physical activity (VAF – number of steps) and in the intensity of daily physical activity (IAF- average walk velocity) are related with higher incidence of falls and increase of incidence of chronic diseases in elderly. However, the identification of factors which may increase the VAF and the IAF became essential, especially in this population. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of muscle strength in VAF and the IAF of older healthy elderly. It were recruited 18 participants, ten men and eight women, aged above 60 years old. The participants performed the one repetition maximal test (1-RM) and afterwards they used the triaxial accelerometer, during seven consecutive days, to measure the VAF and the IAF. To analyze the influence of muscle strength in the VAF and IAF a simple linear regression analysis was performed. It was not observed significant correlations between the muscle strength and the VAF (p = 0.93; r2 = −0.06), or between muscle strength and the IAF (p = 0.08; r2 = 0.17). In conclusion the muscle strength does not influence the VAF and IAF of healthy older adults.