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Normative values of physical fitness for Brazilian elderly woman aged 60-69 years

INTRODUCTION:

Senior Fitness Test (SFT) was widespread and used for assessing the fitness of senior citizens from different countries. In Brazil, it has been applied in several studies, and used as a criterion standard of the American benchmarks for the evaluation, because in Brazil no standards were developed for elderly. Objective: To develop normative values of the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) for Brazilian elderly women practitioners of physical exercises, aged 60-69 years, and compares them with the reference values of US and Portuguese older women.

METHODS:

Using the SFT, 335 elderly women engaged in physical exercises and residents in Florianópolis / SC, Brazil were evaluated. The STF consists of five tests that assess strength of upper and lower limbs, flexibility of upper and lower limbs, agility and dynamic balance and endurance. Inferential statistics was used. To remove the outliers the Z score was used and to obtain the normative values the percentiles (P5 to P95) were calculated. The sum of percentiles was used to obtain the level of fitness for elderly (LFE).

RESULTS:

Normative values were established in the age groups 60-64 years and 65-69 years and when comparing the values created with those existing (Portuguese and American) variability was found in most percentiles, and there was no constant in relation to better performance.

CONCLUSION:

The results indicate through the score-percentile the possibility of obtain a LFE that could be used in various stages of an exercise program, from its planning to implementation and evaluation, as well as a parameter for change behavior for physical exercise.

aged; physical fitness; motor activity


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