Effects of a Walking-Based Home Program on Cardiorespiratory Performance and Physical Activity in Elderly People with Sarcopenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is an important and common disease of older adults caused by the reduction of muscle mass and functionality, resulting in the decline of quality of life and independence in this population. For this reason, physical activity, through walking mainly, has been seen as a crucial tool for improving the severity of this condition. Still, a contribution of a home-based walking program to the performance of cardiorespiratory functions and physical activity in older people with sarcopenia has yet to be quantified.

Objective: The effectiveness of a walking-based home program in improving physical and cardiorespiratory performance in older people with sarcopenia.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental design where 68 sarcopenic older adults, with a mean age of 70.58 years, were recruited from the community and then randomly assigned to two different groups: intervention (n=34) and control (n=34). The intervention group was submitted to a 12-week home-based walking program. Measures related to handgrip strength, gait speed, MIP, MEP, SMI, and levels of physical activity were collected before and after the end of the program. Intra-group and inter-group changes were calculated by the paired and independent t-tests, respectively.

Results: The following results of the positive changes after the study were seen in the intervention group: an increase in handgrip strength of individuals from 21.50 kg to 25.00 kg (p<0.001); an increase in the speed of gait from 1.02 m/s to 1.15 m/s (p=0.003); there was also an increase in MIP from 50.00 cmH2O to 65.00 cmH2O; it also presented a significant increase in walking distance from 340 m to 380 m (p=0.015) and physical activity levels from 1150 MET minutes/week to 3400 MET minutes/week (p<0.001). MEP and SMI did not change.

Conclusion: The walking-based home program significantly improved the physical performance metrics as well as cardio-respiratory fitness in sarcopenic older adults. These results indicate this type of program may be a useful and scalable intervention for health outcomes for this population.