The Effect of Physical Activity Programs on Dynamic Balance of Older Adults during Covid-19

Dynamic balance has been found to be a very important skill for older adults in improving posture control and preventing falls, injuries and hospitalizations. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of two different physical activity (PA) programs on the dynamic balance capability of older adults. Overall, 39 subjects (mean age 62.31) from Tel-Aviv, Israel participated in this research, which has begun few weeks before the Covid-19 restrictions. They were divided into three groups: 16 subjects participated in the Harmonic Gymnastics program; the second group also consisted of 16 subjects who practiced in moderate to high intensity regular fitness exercises and 7 subjects were included in the third group of no PA (No PA). Dynamic balance was measured by the Y balance test before and after three months of the program. The results showed that in the two PA groups, the subjects increased the dynamic balance of both legs, although only the Harmonic Gymnastics group revealed significant results (p = 0.001). The two PA groups decreased the number of falls (p = 0.017 for both groups), and the No PA group decreased the scores of both legs although the decrease was significant only in the left leg’s scores (p = 0.043). This study emphasizes the importance of PA in older age groups, especially in Covid-19 conditions, and highlights the importance of the Harmonic Gymnastics PA program which involves body awareness, coordination, vestibular and proprioceptive abilities.