| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of research work: to evaluate the peculiarities of physical development, aerobic endurance, physical activity in frail older adults. Tasks of the work: 1. To analyze the peculiarities of physical development in adults with frailty syndrome. 2. To investigate the aerobic capacity in frail older adults. 3. To establish the daily physical activity in individuals with frailty syndrome. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in 2022-2025 at Mykolas Marcinkevičius Hospital. A total of 53 (n = 53) adults aged ≥65 years participated in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups: an experimental group (n = 13) consisting of older adults with frailty syndrome and a control group (n = 40) consisting of older adults without frailty syndrome. The study included recording socio-demographic data, the Mini-Mental State Examination, Fried's Phenotype Questionnaire. Physical development was evaluated by Physical development was evaluated by anthropometric data, maximal handgrip strength and body composition indices. Aerobic endurance was assessed using ergometry. Physical activity was evalueted by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Statistical data analysis was performed using MS Excel 20 and IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0.2.0 version. Results: The study results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between individuals with and without frailty syndrome in terms of place of residence, educational attainment, marital status or employment situation (p > 0,05). Individuals with frailty syndrome demonstrated significantly lower body mass index, lean body mass, thoracic excursion, vital capacity, and maximal handgrip strength (p < 0,05). In contrast, height, body weight, waist and hip circumferences, their ratio, and body fat percentage did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0,05). Frail older adults exhibited significantly slower heart rate recovery, higher blood lactate concentration after exercise, and greater perceived physical exertion (p < 0,05). Meanwhile, no statistically significant differences in arterial blood pressure indicators were observed between the groups (p > 0,05). The level of physical activity was significantly lower in individuals with frailty syndrome compared to those without the syndrome (p < 0,05). Conclusions: 1. Individuals with frailty syndrome exhibited significantly lower lean body mass, thoracic excursion, vital capacity, and maximal handgrip strength compared to those without the syndrome. 2. Older adults diagnosed with frailty syndrome demonstrated reduced aerobic capacity, characterized by significantly slower heart rate recovery after physical exertion, higher blood lactate concentration, and greater perceived exertion compared to individuals without the syndrome. 3. Daily physical activity in frail older adults was significantly lower, more than two times, compared to those without this geriatric syndrome. |
