DOES EXERCISE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF SEDENTARY ELDERLY? (USING SF-36 MODEL)

Abstract

Aging is a sensitive and important period of human life and paying attention to the issues and needs of this stage is a social necessity and since attending sports activities is considered as an important context in the life of the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise on the quality of life of sedentary elderly. This research is a descriptive and cross-sectional work that was done with a valid and standard quality of life questionnaire SF-36. Descriptive and inferential tests were used to analyze the data. SPSS software was used for data analysis in this study. The results showed that there was a significant difference between quality of life scales of sedentary elderly and active elderly (P˂0.05). The average result of the assessment of the quality of life of active elderly people is 71.24, and that of sedentary elderly people is 48.07. According to the findings, participation in physical activities improves the quality of life of the elderly. Officials and policy makers should plan and implement policies in order to raise the level of physical activity as an influential variable on the quality of life of elderly. Keywords: Physical pain, Fatigue, Physical function, General health