The majority of elderly people today are physically inactive and, in general, not reaching their physical potential. The heart rate, blood pressure and depression levels have a direct bearing upon the level of health among elderly people and, therefore, renewed and sustained emphasis should be focused upon the improvement of these health factors.
The purposes of the study were to (1) determine the relationship between aerobic activity and resting heart rate among the elderly, (2) determine the relationship between aerobic activity and systolic blood pressure among the elderly, (3) determine the relationship between aerobic activity and depression levels among the elderly and (4) determine, subjectively, how elderly people react to aerobic activities.
Conclusions. From the results of this study, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Participation in an eight week aerobic exercise program does not produce significant reductions in sytolic blood pressure among the elderly (non-hypertensive subjects) as compared to a no-treatment group. (2) Participation in an eight week aerobic exercise program does not produce significant changes in resting heart rate among the elderly as compared to a control group. (3) Participation in an eight week aerobic exercise program produces significant reductions in depression levels among the elderly when compared to a no-treatment group. This statistically significant reduction in depression levels is complemented by subjective analysis reported by nursing staff, participants and researchers. (4) Participation in an eight week aerobic exercise program produces significant decrements in diastolic blood pressure among the elderly when compared to a no-treatment group (F-7.318. df 2, P-.011). The treatment group showed a mean decrement in diastolic blood pressure of 4.00 mm/Hg.