COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE OF ATHLETE AND NON-ATHLETE OLDER ADULTS

The purpose of this study was to comparative investigation of quality of life of athlete and non-athlete older adults. 160 Athletes and non-athletes male (age: 60-69 yr, 80 subjects for each group) were selected randomly from Ardabil city and SF-36 questionnaires completed by them. Health related quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that there were significant differences between athlete and non-athlete subjects regarding to dependent variables. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that the quality of life of elderly people with a history of the exercise training is higher than non-athletes. Also, physical activity improves quality of life of older adults. Thus, its recommend that having the regular exercise and physical activity during youth and especially in old age is very affordable, and elderly care centers can used these training for increase quality of life of elders in society