Effects of Group Exercise Program Tailored by Physical Fitness on Perceived Health Status, Physical Strength, Depression and Cognitive Function of the Elderly

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the tailored group exercise program on perceived health status, physical strength, depression and cognitive function in seniors. Methods: The subjects were 42 seniors of the experimental group and 28 seniors of the control group. The exercise program tailored by physical fitness was carried out for 16 weeks. The dependent variables were measured by Perceived Health Status Scale, The Senior Fitness Test, MMSE-K, and GDS-K. The collected data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test and t-test, and ANCOVA using the SAS program. Results: In terms of physical strength and depression there was significant difference among groups. Perceived health status and cognitive function were not significant different among groups. Conclusion: In this study, the tailored exercise program was effective and safe for the elderly, and resulted in improving physical and psychological health status in the elderly. This demonstrated that the tailored group exercises program on the basis of the subject's fitness, played an essential role in maintaining and improvin