RESUMO
Cognitive decline in older adults is a major public health problem and can compromise independence and quality of life. Exercise and diet have been studied independently and have shown to be beneficial for cognitive function, however, a combined Tai Chi, resistance training, and diet intervention and its influence on cognitive function has not been undertaken. The current study used a 12-week non-randomized research design with experiment and control groups to examine the effect of a combined Tai Chi, resistance training, and diet intervention on cognitive function in 25 older obese women. Results revealed improvements in domain specific cognitive function in our sample. Baseline cognitive function was correlated with changes in dietary quality. These findings suggest that Tai Chi and resistance training combined with diet intervention might be beneficial for community-based programs aiming to improve cognitive function.
Assuntos
Cognição/fisiologia , Dietoterapia , Fragilidade , Vida Independente/estatística & dados numéricos , Obesidade , Qualidade de Vida , Treinamento Resistido/métodos , Tai Chi Chuan , Idoso , Dietoterapia/métodos , Dietoterapia/psicologia , Feminino , Fragilidade/diagnóstico , Fragilidade/fisiopatologia , Fragilidade/psicologia , Fragilidade/terapia , Avaliação Geriátrica/métodos , Humanos , Vida Independente/psicologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Obesidade/psicologia , Obesidade/terapia , Tai Chi Chuan/métodos , Tai Chi Chuan/psicologia , Resultado do Tratamento , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Obesity is a major health problem in the USA, especially in minority populations over the age of 60 years, and the aging process can cause adverse effects on physical function. Previous research has shown that Tai Chi, resistance training (RT), and diet result in overall health improvements. However, the combination of these specific interventions has yet to be translated to obese older women in an urban setting. The purpose of this study was to examine a combined intervention on the primary outcomes of physical function and body composition. Using a nonrandomized design, 26 obese women (65.2 ± 8.1 years) completed a 12-week intervention; participants were assigned to an intervention (EXD) group or a control (CON) group. The EXD group (n = 17) participated in Tai Chi, RT, and a dietary session. The CON group (n = 9) was asked to continue their normal lifestyle. Timed up and go (TUG) time was reduced by 0.64 ± 2.1 seconds (P = 0.04) in the EXD group while the CON group saw a borderline significant increase of 0.71 sec (P = 0.051). The combined intervention helped improve performance on TUG time, but there were no significant increases in other body composition or function measures.