Pablo Valdés-Badilla1,2,3, Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf2, Jenny Ortega-Spuler4, Tomás Herrera-Valenzuela5,6, Samuel Durán-Agüero7, José Zapata-Bastias8, Rodrigo Vargas-Vitoria9, Eduardo Guzmán-Muñoz3,10, Antonio López-Fuenzalida11. 1. Instituto de Actividad Física y Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile. Chile. 2. Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco. Chile. 3. Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Actividad Física, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Católica del Maule. Chile. 4. Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Región de La Araucanía. Chile. 5. Laboratorio de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, el Deporte y la Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad de Santiago de Chile. Chile. 6. Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. Universidad San Sebastián. Chile. 7. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián. Chile. 8. Pedagogía en Educación Física, Escuela de Educación, Universidad Viña del Mar. Chile. 9. Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Católica del Maule. Chile. 10. Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás. Chile. 11. Carrera de Kinesiología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Santiago, Chile.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To associate health anthropometric indexes with physical fitness of elderly women (EW) who participate in physical exercise workshops. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 272 Chilean women over 60 years took part in the study. The variables studied were BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-height index (WHI) and physical fitness (PF). Correlations were made through the Pearson or Spearman coefficient, and bivariate associations using Pearson's Chi-square and the Fisher's exact test, considering p<0.05. RESULTS: 70.8% of the EW were overweight or obese; 68.8% and 96% were at cardiometabolic risk due to their WC and WHI, respectively. Their PF showed equal performance (53.5%) or higher (33.8%) according to their age and gender. Inverse correlations were found between nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk with PF tests (except for agility and dynamic balance [direct]), and direct association with back scratch test. CONCLUSIONS: Excess weight in physically active EW would not affect their physical-functional performance; however, cardiometabolic risk would be inversely associated with motor function.
OBJECTIVE: To associate health anthropometric indexes with physical fitness of elderly women (EW) who participate in physical exercise workshops. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 272 Chilean women over 60 years took part in the study. The variables studied were BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-height index (WHI) and physical fitness (PF). Correlations were made through the Pearson or Spearman coefficient, and bivariate associations using Pearson's Chi-square and the Fisher's exact test, considering p<0.05. RESULTS: 70.8% of the EW were overweight or obese; 68.8% and 96% were at cardiometabolic risk due to their WC and WHI, respectively. Their PF showed equal performance (53.5%) or higher (33.8%) according to their age and gender. Inverse correlations were found between nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk with PF tests (except for agility and dynamic balance [direct]), and direct association with back scratch test. CONCLUSIONS: Excess weight in physically active EW would not affect their physical-functional performance; however, cardiometabolic risk would be inversely associated with motor function.