Evaluation of physical activity programmes for the elderly - exploring the lessons from other sectors and examining the general characteristics of the programmes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Portugal, there are several physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people developed by the local government. The importance of these programmes has been increasing since the evidence has shown that this type of health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. However, no study has already identified the general characteristics of these programmes nor if they use any scheme to assess the quality of the service provided. A widely-used scheme is the EFQM Excellence Model, which will be in the core of our present work. Thus, the main aims of this preliminary study were 1) to identify the general characteristics of the PA programmes developed by the Portuguese Local Public Administration 2) to determine the extent of implementation of quality initiatives in these programmes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected by an on-line questionnaire sent to all Continental Municipalities (n = 278). Categorical data were expressed as absolute counts and percentages. Continuous data were expressed as the mean and SD. An open-ended question was analysed using qualitative content analysis with QSR NVivo software. Associations between categorical variables were tested by the use of contingency tables and the calculation of chi-square tests. Significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results showed: i) a total of 125 PA programmes were identified in the 18 districts of the Portugal mainland; ii) the main goal of the majority (95.2%) was the participants' health promotion; iii) different characteristics of the programmes were found according to different regions of the country; iv) certain characteristics of the programmes were associated to the existence of other features; v) only one PA programme developed quality initiatives.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In conclusion, although there are many PA programmes for elderly people spread throughout the country, aiming at improving the health of participants, the overwhelming majority does not adopt quality control initiatives. Considering that the quality of a service increases customer satisfaction, the continuous quality improvement of the PA programmes for elderly people should therefore be implemented since they can be useful and critical for elderly satisfaction and adherence.</p

Age-related changes in the rate of muscle activation and rapid force characteristics

Declines in muscle size and strength are commonly reported as a consequence of aging; however, few studies have investigated the influence of aging on the rate of muscle activation and rapid force characteristics across the lifespan. This study aims to investigate the effects of aging on the rate of muscle activation and rapid force characteristics of the plantar flexors. Plantar flexion peak force (PF), absolute (peak, 50, and 100–200 ms), and relative (10 %, 30 %, and 50 %) rate of force development (RFD), the rapid to maximal force ratio (RFD/PF), and the rate of electromyography rise (RER) were examined during an isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in young (age = 22 ± 2 years), middle-aged (43 ± 2 years), and old (69 ± 5 years) men. The old men exhibited lower PF (30.7 % and 27.6 % lower, respectively) and absolute (24.4–55.1 %) and relative (16.4–28.9 %) RFD values compared to the young and middle-aged men (P ≤ 0.03). RER values were similar between the young and old men (P ≥ 0.30); however, RER values were greater for the middle-aged men when compared to the young and old men for the soleus (P < 0.01) and the old men for the medial gastrocnemius (P ≤ 0.02). Likewise, RFD/PF ratios were similar between young and old men (P ≥ 0.26); however, these ratios were greater for the middle-aged men at early (P ≤ 0.03), but not later (P ≥ 0.10), time intervals. The lower PF and absolute and relative RFD values for the old men may contribute to the increased functional limitations often observed in older adults. Interestingly, higher rates of muscle activation and greater early RFD/PF ratios in middle-aged men may be a reflection of physiological alterations in the neuromuscular system occurring in the fifth decade