Dr.Biol., Professor S.I. Loginov¹
A.Yu. Nikolayev¹
PhD, Associate Professor M.N. Malkov^1
1Surgut State University, Surgut

 

Keywords: motor activity, physical activity, elderly people, Yugra, fitness test for elderly people, Nordic walking

 

Introduction. The number of elderly people in the developed countries is steadily growing and amounts to almost 900 million at the moment. It is predicted that the number of 65-75 year-old people will double in 2010-2050. Life expectancy has increased, and therefore the World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its age norms. Now, young age range up to 44 years, middle age - up to 60 years, elderly age - up to 75 years. In order to ensure normal physiological aging in elderly people, it is required to provide medico-social and educational support in the form of optimization of physical activity (PhA) and sedentary behavior (SB) [1]. The level of PhA may be increased and sedentary behavior may be reduced by creating under specially designed programs organizational and methodological conditions for correction of physically low active behavior combined with measures to reduce the level of daily sedentary activity [2]. In our earlier studies we showed that Nordic walking (NW) is an appropriate means of optimization and maintenance of PhA [3], but the effect of the latter on the physical fitness (PhF) level in the elderly people is yet to be studied.

Objective of the study was to determine the effects of regular Nordic walking practices on physical fitness of elderly women in the extreme conditions of the Yugra North.

Methods and structure of the study. With the organizational assistance of the territorial public self-government (TPSG) centers, namely TPSG-29 and TPSG-32 in Surgut, 45 physically low-active elderly women (aged 60-75 years) were invited to participate in the educational experiment to study the effect of Nordic walking on their PhF level. In the course of the experiment, 6 subjects dropped out, and 39 stayed: 19 subjects formed the Reference Group (RG) and 20 - the Experimental Group (EG). Attendance in the EG was 89%, in the RG - 52%. The independent variable in the RG was dosed (50-60 min) health walking at the speed of 2.5 km/h (step frequency of about 60 steps per minute), in the EG it was NW for 50-60 min at the speed of 4.2 km/h) (step frequency of about 100 steps per minute) with continuous monitoring of the subjects’ heart rate and walking cadence using Xiaomi fitness bracelets (Hong Kong, China). The training sessions were conducted 3 times a week for 16 weeks. Before and after the training sessions, the Nordic walking test helped determine the level of physical fitness (PhF) using a battery of tests for elderly people [8]. The test battery included six tests: sit-to-stand test (to rate the lower limbs functionality), arm bending with 2.5kg weight (to rate the upper limbs functionality); 6-minute walking test (to rate aerobic endurance); lower limbs flexibility test; upper limbs flexibility test; and stand-and-go (2.5m to and fro) test (to rate dynamic balancing skills). The data obtained were statistically processed using the Statistica 10 software toolkit (StatSoft, USA), followed by calculation of the mean arithmetic value <X>, standard deviation <SD>, Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The mean values were matched using the Student's test with differences rated as significant at p<0.05.

Results and discussion. At the beginning of the experiment, the RG and EG indices did not differ in all tests and corresponded to the age norm. In the RG, health walking was accompanied by a significant increase in aerobic endurance and strength of the lower limbs during the "6-minute walking" and "sit-to-stand" tests, while the age norms were exceeded. After the end of the Nordic walking program the EG results were significantly higher than in the RG, in the following tests: sit-and-stand, arm bending, 6-minute walking, stand-and-go (Table 1).

 

Table 1. Effects of Nordic walking and health walking on physical fitness indices in elderly women of two groups, X ± SD

Test	Reference Group, n=19		Experimental Group, N=20
	before	after	Before	after
Sit-to-stand, reps per 30 sec (age norm - 12-17 reps)	16.1±2.12	20.3±2.6*	16.25±2.67	23.1±3.5*#
Arm bending, reps per 30 sec  (13-18)	22.8±4.0	23.7±3.1	23.3±3.2	27.2±3.4*#
6-minute walking, m (500-580)	665±113	737±98*	683±53	866±71*#
Lower limbs flexibility, cm (-1.3 – +11.4)	4.6±6.8	2.3±7.7	4.2±8.9	2.2±7.3
Upper limbs flexibility, cm (-7.6 – -2.5)	-3.8±9.0	-1.2±4.8	-3.6±7.3	-5.4±6.6
Stand-and-go, sec (6.0 – 4.9)	5.4±0.5	5.4±0.3	5.3±0.6	4.7±0.3*#

* – significant differences at p<0.05 between EG and RG "before" and "after", # - significant differences at p<0.05 between RG "after" and EG "after", SD - standard deviation. Given in brackets are the age norms for elderly women of this age category.

 

In the RG, under the influence of health walking, two differently directed correlations of average strength were revealed between the upper limbs flexibility and arm strength (r=0.59, p=0.008), as well as arm strength and body balance (r=-0.48; p=0.036) (Table 2).

 

Table 2. Correlation between physical fitness indices of RG elderly women before and after experiment (n=19)

Legend: Here and in Table 3: * - p<0.05; PhF - physical fitness, AB – arm bending with a dumbbell, LLF – lower limbs flexibility, ULF – upper limbs flexibility, 6-minute walking - distance in meters, covered in 6 minutes.

 

In the EG, under the influence of NW, significant average correlations were observed between the leg strength and lower limbs flexibility, arm strength and upper limbs flexibility, a negative weak correlation between the endurance index and lower limbs flexibility (Table 3).

 

Table 3. Correlation between physical fitness indices of EG elderly women before and after experiment (n=20)

 

The intergroup correlation relationships between the "self-training" indicators testify to the reliability of each subtest when measuring the parameter before and after the educational impact (training).

The correlation pleiads in the RG and EG before and after the training are shown in Figure 1. It is easy to see that two significant correlations emerged in the RG under the influence of training, whereas the EG had six such connections, which indicates a greater training effect of Nordic walking.

 

Figure 1. Correlation between the physical fitness indices in the elderly women of the Reference Group before and after the educational impact (health walking, n=19) (A) and Experimental Group before and after (Nordic walking, n=20) (B). The thick solid lines indicate the statistically significant (p<0.05) average correlation, the thin line is for the statistically significant weak correlation.

 

The level of physical activity is often used as a parameter for monitoring and assessing the health status of the population [9]. At the same time, the level of daily physical activity is not as important as such as its combination with the sedentary time.

If the sedentary time used to be considered as a part of the physical activity continuum, now it is an independent form of manifestation of the socially conditioned life activity of an individual. Information on the ratio of physical activity and sedentary time is particularly important for the elderly people over 60 years old to develop programs for prevention of various non-communicable diseases, physical inactivity (sedentary lifestyle) and reduction of mortality.

Physical fitness of the elderly people is the ability to perform routine day-to-day activities in a safe and independent manner, without excessive fatigue or pain. The fitness test for the elderly we used had been designed to assess the level of development of physical qualities necessary for everyday life. A set of subtests used to rate physical fitness of elderly people includes evaluation of muscle strength, aerobic endurance, flexibility and dynamic balance. The lower and upper limbs strength is necessary for most everyday activities, such as walking (type of aerobic endurance), shopping or excursions [8]. Low flexibility and reduced or lost range of habitual movements can seriously affect a number of bodily functions, such as spine kinematics and joint work when walking [5]. It is very important to preserve normal flexibility of the lower back for good manner of walking and to prevent the risk of falling [4]. Agility and dynamic balance are very important when dealing with such everyday motor activities, as getting in and out of a bus or car, taking a bath or a shower [5]. Therefore, even such a kind of activity as health walking is an excellent means for elderly people to consciously reduce the sedentary time. Combined with the active forms of physical culture and sports, this effect will be much better.

In the physical fitness rates, the Surgut females were found close to the Polish and Croatian ones [6, 7]. Statistically significant differences were found only in the sit-to-stand (lower limbs flexibility); stand-and-go (dynamic balancing); and 6-minute walking (aerobic endurance) tests. The normally physically active elderly women versus the insufficiently active ones showed on the average better rates in the 6-minute walking test and demonstrated lower heart rate after the training sessions.

Conclusion. It may be concluded, therefore, that the regular Nordic walking practices are recommended to increase physical activity (and for sedentary lifestyle control) for the Surgut elderly women under study, with the Nordic walking training effects being higher versus the health walking practices.

 

The study was performed at the Biomechanics and Kinesiology Laboratory of the Sport Science Centre of the Humanitarian Education and Sports Institute of Surgut State University with the financial support from the Russian State Research Fund and the Education and Youth Policy Department of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region-Yugra.

 

References

1. VOZ. Strategiya i plan deystviy v podderzhku zdorovogo stareniya v Evrope, 2012–2020 gg. 62 sessiya Evropeyskogo regionalnogo komiteta VOZ. [Strategy and action plan for healthy ageing in Europe, 2012–2020. 62nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe]. Malta, September 10–13 2012. [Electronic resource]. Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/en/who-we-are/governance. Date of access 01.02.2018.

2. Loginov S.I., Malkov M.N., Nikolayev A.Yu. Gendernye osobennosti proyavleniya povsednevnoy fizicheskoy aktivnosti i sidyachego povedeniya v vyborke pozhilykh zhiteley Surguta [Gender-specific manifestations of daily physical activity and sedentary behaviour in elderly people of Surgut]. Uspekhi gerontologii, 2017, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 573–578.

3. Loginov S.I., Nikolayev A.Yu., Malkov M.N. Optimizaciya fizicheskoy aktivnosti i sidyachego povedeniya v vyborke pozhilykh zhiteley Surguta s pomoschyu skandinavskoy khodby [Scandinavian walking application experience for Surgut seniors physical activation and sedentary behaviour correction]. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury, 2017, no. 7, pp. 90–92.

4. Brown M., Rose D.J. Flexibility training. In C.J. Jones, & D.J. Rose (Eds.), Physical activity instruction for older adults (pp. 155-174). Champaign, IL: 2005. Human Kinetics.

5. Holland G.J., Tanaka K., Shigematsu R., & Nakagaichi M. Flexibility and Physical Functions of Older Adults: A Review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2002, 10, pp. 169-206.

6. Milanović Z., Pantelić S., Trajković N., Sporiš G., Kostić R., James N. Age-related decrease in physical activity and functional fitness among elderly men and women. Clin. Intervent. Aging, 2013, V. 8, pp. 549–556. doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S44112.

7. Nawrocka A., Mynarski W., Cholewa J. Adherence to physical activity guidelines and functional fitness of elderly women, using objective measurement. Ann. Agricult. Environ. Med. 2016. doi: 10.5604/12321966.1231388.

8. Rikli R E., Jones J.C. Senior Fitness Test Manual, 2nd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2013.
9. WHO. Global status report on noncommunicable diseases. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2014.

 

 Abstract

The study analyzes the benefits of a Nordic walking (NW) testing experiment for the senior women’s (55-76 year-old, n=39) physical fitness. The Experimental Group (EG, n=20) was trained by 50-60min NW three times a week for 16 weeks; versus the Reference Group (RG, n=19) engaged in health walking practices for the same period. The group progress was tested by the pre- and post-experimental physical fitness tests for seniors. The EG showed progress versus the RG in arm strength, aerobic capacity and movement coordination test rates (p<0,05), with the lower limb strength and flexibility rates showing no variations. The RG also showed progress in the lower limb strength and aerobic capacity rates obtained by a 6-min walking test (p<0.05). It may be concluded, therefore, that the regular NW practices are recommended for physical activation (and sedentary lifestyle control) purposes, with the NW training effects being higher versus the health walking practices.