Effectiveness of aerobic exercise on dimensions of quality of life in elderly females

Elderly people (aged 65 years and older) made up 7.7% of the global population in 2013, and it is estimated that this will have increased to 10.2% by 2023, 20.8% by 2050, and 27.7% by 2075.[1] In this way, world populations will be included a large group of elderly with a smaller different age groups.[2] The of Iranian national statistic in 2016 indicated that the population over 65 years was about 6.1%, which is steadily increasing, and is estimated to reach 25 million in the next 12 years.[3]
Context: Given increasing number of older adults and the burden of care costs of them, improving the quality of life (QOL) of these people is one of the main targets of researchers in this field. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of aerobic exercise on the dimensions of QOL among elderly females. Setting and Design: This semi experimental research with re-post test design conducted in Rehabilitation and Daily Care Center of Iran‑Tabriz 2018. Sixty elderly females were selected based on criteria and divided via blocks randomization into intervention (N = 30) and control groups (N = 30). The intervention group participated in aerobic training for 8 weeks (24 sessions). Both groups were evaluated before and after intervention with QOL questionnaire (SF36). Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using SPSS‑20 software through descriptive, Chi‑Square, one‑way, and multivariate covariance methods. The QOL of majority of elderly women was low (78%). The mean score of QOL in the intervention group before intervention was 43.99 ± 4.4 and after intervention was 55.46 ± 4.62 (P = 0.001). In the control group, the mean score of QOL was 44.70 ± 4.51 before and 47.31 ± 4.37 after intervention (P = 0.41). Aerobic exercises have improved the QOL in all mental and physical aspects of women aged 60–70 years. Therefore, this easy and cost‑effective intervention is beneficial for aged woman to promote QOL dimensions. It can be used as intervention to enhance QOL of aged peopled