Open AccessThe use of a non-pedal tricycle to promote physical activity in nursing home residents: a pilot study
Author(s) -
Tatiane Calve,
Ana Maria Forti Barela
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
brazilian journal of motor behavior/brazilian journal of motor behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2446-4902
pISSN - 1980-5586
DOI - 10.20338/bjmb.v15i2.194
Subject(s) - nursing homes , intervention (counseling) , session (web analytics) , medicine , physical therapy , physical activity , protocol (science) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , test (biology) , activities of daily living , nursing , alternative medicine , computer science , paleontology , pathology , world wide web , biology
BACKGROUND: Elderly individuals living in nursing homes are usually inactive and do not seem motivated to engage in physical activity. Therefore, it is important to investigate new possibilities that enable them to be active in these environments.AIM: To investigate the feasibility of a protocol using a non-pedal tricycle in elderly individuals living in nursing homes and its effects on improving endurance, walking speed, and functional mobility.METHOD: Fourteen nursing home residents aged from 60 to 93 years were included in the study protocol. They were randomly allocated into two groups: control (CG) and intervention (IG). The CG kept their routine during the engagement in the study, and the IG, in addition to the routine, used a non-pedal tricycle to move around the nursing home twice a week for 12 weeks. Participants from both groups underwent the 6-minute walk, 10-meter walk, and timed-up and go tests, one week before the first practice session and one week after the last practice session provided to the IG.RESULTS: Before the intervention, there was no group difference in any test, and after the intervention, only IG participants presented an increase in walking distance and walking speed. Both groups did not change their time to conclude the timed-up and go test.CONCLUSION: The use of a non-pedal tricycle seems appropriate in stimulating physical activity in individuals living in nursing homes. Besides the motivation to move around, walking resistance and speed improved.