Effectiveness of A Pilates Training Program on Cognitive and Functional Abilities in Postmenopausal Women

Patricia Alexandra García-Garro, Fidel Hita-Contreras, Antonio Martínez-Amat, Alexander Achalandabaso-Ochoa, José Daniel Jiménez-García, David Cruz-Díaz and Agustín Aibar-Almazán
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Patricia Alexandra García-Garro: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Fidel Hita-Contreras: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Antonio Martínez-Amat: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Alexander Achalandabaso-Ochoa: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
José Daniel Jiménez-García: Department of Teaching Physical Education, Fine Arts and Music, University of Cádiz, 11003 Cádiz, Spain
David Cruz-Díaz: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Agustín Aibar-Almazán: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-12

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a Pilates exercises program on the cognitive and physical functioning of older Spanish women. This study is a randomized clinical trial; a total of 110 women aged ≥60 years were initially allocated to either a Pilates group (PG, n = 55), who underwent a 12-week Pilates exercise program, or to a control group (CG, n = 55), who did not receive any intervention. Global cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination), verbal fluency (Isaacs test), executive function (Trail Making Test), functional flexibility (Back Scratch Test and Chair Sit-and-Reach Test), and lower-body strength (30 s Chair-Stand Test) were assessed before and immediately after the intervention period. The main findings of this study suggest that women in the PG (within-group differences) experienced improvements across all the variables examined except for global cognitive function. When compared with the CG (between-group differences), our analysis revealed significant benefits in the PG for all measures except for global cognitive function and functional flexibility (Back Scratch Test). In conclusion, our results suggest that Pilates has the potential to improve both cognitive and functional abilities among Spanish women aged 60 years and over.

Keywords: cognitive performance; functional skills; older women; Pilates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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