Fatores de adesão à prática de atividades físicas em idosos no Brasil: uma revisão de literatura

Abstract

According to Harris et al. (2020) the public aged over 65 years (elderly) are the most prone to sedentary lifestyle, currently considered a public health problem. Since the creation of the Elderly Statute, in 2003, studies in the area of health have been developed with an interest in investigating aspects of the daily life of the elderly and of public health policies, which could contribute to the integral quality of life of the elderly person. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the main factors of adherence of elderly people to the practice of regular physical activities, in Brazil, between the years 2005 to 2021. Therefore. we list the following specific objectives: Identify public policies that contribute to the adherence of the elderly to the practice of regular physical activities; Describe the main motivations and impediments faced by the elderly to practice regular physical activities; Discuss the impacts of adherence to physical activity on the quality of life and health of elderly people. The research is a literature review, carried out according to the recommendations of Gomes and Caminha (2014) and Pereira et al. (2018), in national institutional repositories and Google Academic, Scielo and .Sucupira platforms, with the main descriptors: “sedentary lifestyle” “health of the elderly”, “adherence to the practice of physical activity” “quality of life”. In the review, the following inclusion/exclusion factors were considered: case study methodologies, field research, document research or literature reviews; and year of publication between 2005 and 2021, with research locus in Brazil. The survey data revealed that the main factors of adherence to the practice of physical activity presented by the elderly are related to compliance with medical advice, the improvement of clinical conditions and/or health maintenance, as well as biopsychosocial, cognitive and therapeutic needs. The regularity of practices, on the other hand, is related to the work of health professionals, with a higher rate of permanence of the elderly in programs conducted by professionals who carry out the correct anamnesis of the public, offering exercises that are consistent with the students' goals and that provide an appropriate social environment for development of interpersonal relationships. It was also identified the existence of more than 758 programs/projects to promote the health of the elderly through physical activities in Brazil, governed by Ordinance No. 2528 of October 19, 2006. It is therefore concluded that the training of professionals in physical education, must permeate the theoretical aspect of knowledge necessary for the good development of physical skills and competences of students, being essential for working with the elderly to acquire specific knowledge in the geriatric area, to deal with the specifics of the public and also to understand that the permanence of these students in the fight against the public health problem of sedentary lifestyles, requires a different look at the social reality of the elderly and a work that materializes from the perspective of Human Rights. Therefore, the quality of the physical educator's training generates not only an improvement in the health/general clinical status of elderly students, but also promotes social well being and human care for these people.