The effect of an aquatic exercise program on the quality of life of healthy elderly males: a comparative study

ABSTRACTBackground:  In many developing countries, the population of elderly people keeps growing despite a decrease in their quality of life due to various factors including lack of mobility and decreased physical activity. The present study is a comparative survey aimed to assess the effects of an aquatic exercise program on the quality of life (QOL) among a group of healthy elderly males.Materials and Methods: This study involved a sample of 40 healthy males, 60 years of age or older. Although these subjects were all physically active and able to perform activities of daily living independently, none of them had any experience of participating in exercise programs. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups each contained 20 subjects: a training group and a nonexercise control group. The training group undertook a 6-week aquatic exercise program three times a week for 1 hour. The program consisted of a warm up, main exercises and a cool down. Control group did not receive any instructions and were encouraged to follow their routine physical activities during the study. Both groups were assessed before and after the exercise program. The LEIPAD questionnaire was used to measure QOL.RESULTS: The results showed significant improvements in all domains of the LEIPAD questionnaire in exercise group. There were, however, not any significant changes in the control group pertaining to this questionnaire. CONCLUSION: It can be suggested, through the results of this study, that engaging in an aquatic exercise program may lead to a significant improvement in QOL of healthy older males. Key words: Aquatic training, quality of life, older males