Effect of Pilates training on some psychological and social factors related to falling in elderly women

Falling is a common serious medical condition that affects the health of elderly persons and increases the health care costs. It also can lead to physical، psychological، social، and economic outcomes and even death. Therefore، the present study aimed to examine the effect of Pilates training on psychological and social factors related to falling in elderly women in Shahrekord during 2011-2012. In this quasi-experimental study، 30 elderly women (age range، 70. 23±5. 9) referred to Farhikhtegan rehabilitation center in Shahrekord were randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups. To evaluate the psychological and social factors، Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and WHOQOL-BREF (WB) questionnaire were used، respectively. Then the experimental group received a 12-week Pilates training exercise. Results showed a significant difference between the two groups regarding the depression (P=0. 007) and quality of life in both the physical (P=0. 0001) and environmental (P=0. 017) dimensions. Pilates training sessions can reduce the depression level and improve the quality of life in the elderly. It can therefore help them play a more significant role in the society and be more interactive in terms of social and cultural aspects.