Background: Physical activity is well-studied health determinant with beneficial effects on targeting modifiable risk factors associated with morbidity and mortality related to increasing age. Hence, several studies were conducted to determine the effect of physical exercise in relation to reducing risk of adverse out-comes such as decline in cognition, decrease cardiac and pulmonary function and frailty. Likewise, studies were also conducted to determine the effect of physical exercise on the quality of life and ac-tivities of daily living among elderly. However, despite these recommendations regarding the benefit of physical exercise, the frequency and intensity of physical activity have not been well-defined Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to quantify the overall effect of physical exercise on the quality of life and activities of daily living among people 60 years or older from multiple published ran-domized controlled trials Methods: This review included randomized controlled trials involving adults aged 60 years and above who have been appropriately evaluated, with or without co-morbidities, with exercise therapy as an interven-tion. Three reviewers conducted the search for articles, risk of bias appraisal and data extraction Results: Two studies were included which met the inclusion criteria. Physical activity showed favorable effects on quality of life as reported in EuroQol quality of life scale (EQ-5D) and Short Form 36-Health Survey (SF-36). Likewise, activities of daily living also improved, measured by the Lawton and Brody Scale, Barthel Index scale, and SchwabEngland-Activites of Daily Living scale (SE-ADL). These benefits were observed on a short-term basis (< 3 months) among older adults with co-morbidities, sedentary and frail, with mobility difficulty, regardless of sex Conclusion This review has provided evidence that short term follow up period of physical exercise intervention have shown significant benefits among older adults compared to the control group with no exercise therapy intervention
Quality of Life ; Activities of Daily Living