Physical, cognitive and emotional outcomes in older adults exercisers: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: This systematic review provides an overview about those papers with a specific physical exercise intervention aimed to improve physical, cognitive and/or emotional outcomes in healthy older people aged 60 or over. Studies with no intervention whose sample were active healthy older adults were also included. Methodology: An exhaustive literature search was done through two databases, including studies from January 2000 to December 2020. The present systematic review was registered in an international database of prospectively systematic reviews in health and social care named PROSPERO with the registry number CRD42020223081. Results: Of the 2148 identified records, 69 met the inclusion criteria and were selected. Results from the review showed a wide variety of older adults and lengths of the interventions, from five weeks (the shortest one) to five years. Aerobic exercise, either isolated or combined with strength performance, was also the most common type of exercise recognized in this systematic review. Conclusions: Findings also suggest that the number of studies with all, physical, cognitive and emotional outcomes have been increasing during recent years in healthy older adults.