Physical Activity and Health Quality of Life Improvement Through Implementation of a Chair Yoga Exercise in Older Adults
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Abstract
Background: Exercise and physical activity are important to holistic health and quality of life because they improve symptoms of chronic illness, mood, stability, and risk of developing disease (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], n.d.). Despite the need to maintain physical activity, many older adults are still sedentary. Exercise may be challenging for this population due to age-related barriers such as disease complications, decreased ability to move, and poor lifestyle habits (Mikkelsen et al., 2022). In patients receiving care at the community living center (CLC), we hypothesized that older adults may benefit from daily exercise to improve their quality of life and regular physical activity minutes.
Methods: A convenience sample of 10 older adults at a single CLC was recruited to participate in an exercise routine through implementation of a chair yoga exercise over an 8-week period. Participants completed a pre-intervention survey to measure quality of life, symptoms of chronic illness, exercise minutes weekly, exercise logs, and a post-intervention survey. Audit and feedback methods were used to review progress and tailor interventions during implementation.
Results/Findings: Sample consisted of 11 males aged between 65 – 86 (M = 75.64, SD = 5.48). The mean pain score among the 11 participants was 4.91 (SD = 3.45). During the intervention, all participants increased their exercise time over the eight weeks (Figure 1) and surveys suggested a statistically significant improvement in quality of life and chronic illness symptoms (Figure 2 and Figure 3).
Conclusion: Chair yoga intervention in older adults may be an effective integration to increase exercise minutes and improve chronic illness symptoms and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults.
Keywords: exercise, physical activity, chair yoga, older adults, Community Living Center (CLC)