Effect of Group Physical Games on Life Quality of Older Adults at Adult Daycare Centers

Physical activity is a predictor of the health outcomes of the older adults, and many approaches have been introduced for its implementation. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of group physical games on life quality (QOL) of older adults at an adult day care center.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted using pre-test and post-test. Using convenience sampling, a total of 50 senior citizens above 60 years of age from two adult daycare centers of Babol and Amol in 2017 was placed in an intervention (25) and a control (25) group, respectively. The intervention group received physical games program twice a week for 6 weeks. The SF12 questionnaire was used to assess the QOL. The statistical analysis of the variables was carried out using t-tests, Wilcoxon, and Mann-Whitney tests at a significant level (P < 0.05) with SPSS software.

The QOL scores of the participants in the intervention group, compared to the control group have significantly improved (p < 0.001). The calculated difference for the quality of life of the intervention group was (d = 4.40 ±  2.36) being (d = 1.68 ±  1.74) and (d = 2.72 ±  1.51) in the physical and mental aspects, respectively.

Physical exercise program (especially stationary physical game) can improve the quality of life of the older adults both physically and mentally. Therefore, such activities can be used to improve the quality of life of the older adults.