OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the literature regarding the impact of the practice of regular physical activity in the quality of life of elderly people. METHODS: A systematic review of studies published until September 2008, in the databases Medline, LILACS and SciELO. It were excluded studies that had cross design or that were reports of cases that evaluated the quality of life associated with a specific disease and those in which there were concurrent presence of another intervention. RESULTS: According to the inclusion criteria, of 391 articles found only three were part of the analysis. We identified three types of interventions: 1) warming exercises, aerobic training, muscle strengthening, coordination and cooling, 2) muscle strengthening exercises, functional training, 3) exercises in water. The results of these studies suggest that the quality of life seems to increase with physical activity (interventions 1 and 3), especially if it is held twice a week instead of just once. The benefits of strength training for muscle in quality of life was limited and no benefit from functional training in this outcome was found. CONCLUSION: The limited number of articles found, only a single study for each type of intervention, limits the conclusions of this review regarding the effectiveness of these interventions. It is therefore concluded that there is limited evidence about the benefits of the practice of physical activity on the quality of life of elderly people living in the community. It is suggested that more longitudinal studies with different types of interventions be conducted so that the conclusion about the efficacy of these interventions will be more robust.
Quality of Life; Exercise; Elderly; Motor Activity; Resistance Training; Physical