Effect of telehealth exercise program on older adults’ health during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: Social distancing negatively interferes in physical and mental health of the older population, which can be manage by Telehealth Exercise Program (ThEP). The objective was to evaluate the effect of a physical exercise program mediated by telehealth on levels of physical activity, depressive symptoms, and quality of life among community-dwelling older adults during pandemic. Methods: Quasi-experimental study included twenty-four participants, aged between 60 and 87 years. The instruments used were the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Geriatric Depression Scale, the WHOQoL-bref, and the WHOQoL-old. The ThEP was made with videos of guidelines for performing home-based physical exercises. The evaluations included: baseline, follow-up 1 (after 15 weeks), follow-up 2 (after 5 weeks from the end of ThEP), and fol-low-up 3 (after 18 weeks from the end of ThEP). Descriptive and median comparison analysis were performed. Results: Physical activity increased along follow-ups. Depressive symptoms decrease significantly during the period, while quality of life showed significant gains in the physical domain (p = 0.007), and maintenance of the other domains. Conclusion: ThEP improves level of physical activity, decreases depressive symptoms, and maintains a good quality of life.