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Intervention with physical-recreational activity to anxiety and depression in the elderly

Abstract:

Introduction: Depression and anxiety as complex emotional disorders usually become negative conditions that imply a decrease in elderly life quality. Specialized physical activity could serve as a coadjutant to combat these disorders. Objective: To improve the anxiety and depression levels in the elderly through a physical-recreational program. Methods: The population of older adults is studied at the Social Security Institute of Ecuador Armed Forces in Quito (18 subjects: 6 women and 12 men, between 60-65 years). The Hamilton test is applied to assess depression and anxiety before and after implementing a specialized program of physical-recreational activities. Results: Anxiety increased in the "Absent" scale significantly (p= 0.0408), and depression increased significantly in "Not depressed" scale (p= 0.0480), both indicators as part of the posttest. The rest of depression and anxiety indicators decreased percentage according to Hamilton scales applied. Conclusions: A significant decrease in anxiety and depression levels in the older adults under study is demonstrated, concluding that the physical-recreational activities contribute as a coadjuvant treatment in the anxiety and depression levels reduction in older adults.