Quality of Life and Physical Activity among Elderly and Old People

This article presents the results of the identification of the main causes of physical inactivity among the elderly and an assessment of the effectiveness of the inclusion of regular Nordic walking in the preventive system for the elderly in order to improve the quality of life. A comparative analysis of the quality of life was conducted for elderly and old people regularly engaged in Nordic walking (intervention group) and those leading a physically passive lifestyle (control group). It was established that regular physical activity allows improvement of the quality of life and positively affects health in the studied groups, but it is the elderly people who represent the most physically inactive part of the population. The main reasons for physical inactivity among older people are the presence of diseases, fear of injury and falls, lack of energy and weakness, low motivation level, lack of partners or friends for joint activities, etc. The aforementioned studies have shown that the regular practice of Nordic walking improves the quality of life for both elderly and old people. This was shown by the results of the SF-36 questionnaire analysis when we compared not both the intervention and control groups and the age differences in the quality of life in all studied groups. After 12 months of regular Nordic walking, an increase of the quality of life was registered via estimation on the scales of role-playing physical functioning, overall health, role emotional functioning, vitality, psychological health, and social functioning, which correlated with both the physical and psychological health components. These results make it possible to recommend Nordic walking as the most simple, accessible, and, at the same time, effective type of physical activity for the elderly population, one that helps overcome the main causes of physical inactivity and restore the functional capabilities of the aging organism. Gerontotechnologies based on the regular activities of Nordic walking are one of the most effective ways to improve and maintain the quality of life and, as a result, the activity, mobility, self-care ability among elderly and old people.