Long-term adherence to exercise: the relationship with functional fitness and personal motivation among community-dwelling independent-living older women

Adesão a longo prazo a um tipo de exercício físico: relação com a capacidade física funcional e motivações pessoais entre mulheres idosas fisicamente independentes

Adhesión a largo plazo de un tipo de ejercicio físico: relación con la capacidad física funcional y motivaciones personales entre mujeres mayores físicamente independientes

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study were to examine the relationships between functional fitness, self-esteem, aesthetic body care and long-term adherence to dance, and to identify other characteristics related to dance adherence in the elderly. METHODS: Seventeen women, aged 59-86 years-old, who practised a type of dance labeled "bodily expression". RESULTS: Functional fitness was correlated to dance adherence and was the only factor related to this variable in a linear regression analysis. Self-esteem and aesthetic body care seemed to play an indirect role on adherence. Functional fitness, specially upper-body flexibility and lower-body muscular function, and interest in dance (qualitative data) were related to long-term adherence to dance. CONCLUSIONS: Functional fitness and interest in exercising were the main aspects related to participants' long-term adherence to dance.

Dance; older adults; exercise adherence; physical fitness