O IMPACTO DO TREINAMENTO DE DUPLA TAREFA SOBRE A COGNIÇÃO E O RISCO DE QUEDAS EM IDOSOS

Abstract

The aging of the population has generated a need for new research that seeks to decrease the physical and cognitive declines inherent to advancing age. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of dual-task training (balance and cognition) on postural control, mobility, risk of falls, and cognition in community-dwelling elderly individuals. For this purpose, 40 elderly individuals with a mean age of 68.5±4.7 years were divided into experimental (intervention) and control (no intervention) groups. The exercise program involved a combination of motor and cognitive activities performed twice a week, on non-consecutive days, for 60 minutes. Postural control was assessed using the BIOMEC-400 force platform (EMG System®). Mobility was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. The risk of falls was measured using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) questionnaire. Finally, cognition was analyzed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Assessments were performed at baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention (experimental group) or follow-up (control group). Statistical analysis involved the multiple analysis of variance test, assuming a significance level of 5%. The effect size of the intervention was reported in all analyses. With regard to the results, benefits of the exercise program were observed for postural control (effect size: 0.552), mobility (effect size: 0.383), and cognition (effect size: 0.536). The exercises decreased the fear of falling in subjects in the experimental group, but not significantly when compared to the control group (p>0.05). When including sex in the statistical model, it was observed that the benefits of the exercise program were similar between men and women. In conclusion, 12 weeks of a dual-task exercise program provided benefits in specific aspects of motor and cognitive functions in community-dwelling elderly individuals. Further research should be conducted to observe long-term effects and address other important aspects of elderly health. This study was prospectively registered in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry, ID: RBR-6w3w5b4.