Atividade física, saúde mental e resiliência em idosos da comunidade em Juiz de Fora – estudo longitudinal de quatro anos de seguimento

Abstract

Introduction: Population aging and as a specific need for the elderly, where it is increasingly discussed in today's society. The prospect of an increase in the elderly population requires health measures that meet new demands, such as the mental health of the elderly. Non-pharmacological measures aimed at the positive and protective aspects of illness in aging are being increasingly studied, as a way of preventing and promoting health in this age group. The promotion of the mental health of the elderly is related to positive resources and coping strategies used for healthy aging, such as physical activity, resilience and social support. Studies show that people who are more physically active have greater resilience and better mental health. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between mental health, resilience and physical activity in the elderly longitudinally. Objectives: to evaluate longitudinally the association between resilience and mental health (depression, anxiety and stress) in the elderly and how physical activity would influence this association. Methods: Longitudinal observational four-year follow-up study (carried out on 3 waves - 2015, 2017 and 2019) with elderly people participating in the FaMIdade program (Faculty Open to the Best Age) of the Methodist Granbery Institute, in the city of Juiz de Fora, Brazil. Sociodemographic data, cognitive status (using a cognitive battery), level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire - IPAQ), psychological resilience (Psychological Resilience Scale) and mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - DASS 21). Statistical analyzes were performed to verify the association between resilience and mental health and how physical activity influences this relationship. Results: In the first wave of the survey, in 2015, 312 elderly people were taken. In the second wave, in 2017, 291 elderly people were taken. In wave 2019, in the third follow-up, 180 elderly people were adopted. The data were taken in two moments. The first two-year longitudinal study (2015 and 2017) found a negative correlation between resilience at the beginning of the study and depression, anxiety and stress after 2 years for the general sample. Physical activity influenced the relationship between resilience and mental health, being that full physical assets made more use of resilience components linked to overcome, while not insufficiently physically active made greater use of intrinsic components of resilience. The second 4-year longitudinal study (2015, 20017 and 20019) found that the majority of the elderly showed intermittent physical activity over time. Elderly people who maintained continuous physical activity were more resilient than those with intermittent physical activity. In addition, the elderly with higher levels of resilience had lower mental health problems. Conclusion: This longitudinal study corroborates the data in the current literature on resilience being a protective factor for the mental health of the elderly and its connection with physical activity, in addition to adding analyzes of longitudinal data, which improve the understanding of the causal factors that are associated with health mental health, resilience and physical activity in the elderly.