Effectiveness of a Physical Activity Program (EPAP)

Effectiveness of a Physical Activity Program in Adults and the Elderly

study with multicomponent exercise

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Elderly; Adults; Physical Activities
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Balance exercise; Behavioral: Multicomponent exercises

Detailed Description

The objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent physical activity program on the physical fitness of adults and the elderly. Participants will be adults and elderly individuals who perform physical activities in an extension project at the Federal University of Pará, Castanhal Campus, three times a week for 60 minutes. Each class will emphasize two physical capacities. Physical assessments will take place at the beginning and end of the school year and will include evaluations of the participants' profile, anthropometry, physical capacities, blood pressure, handgrip strength, and mental health. This research project aims to achieve the following goals: Conduct at least 80 assessments each year; Improve quality of life; Improve physical capacities; Reduce body circumferences; Improve muscle strength and handgrip strength; Encourage the participation of Physical Education students in research projects; Guide students in scientific work and in the preparation of their Final Course Projects; Participate in scientific events with presentations of work resulting from this research. Keywords: Adults; elderly people; physical activity; physical abilities.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • Pará
    • Castanhal, Pará, Brazil, 68746-630
      • Universidade Federal do Pará

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults
• Older adults
• Over 50 years of age of both sexes
• Participating in an extension program at Federal University of Pará
• Self-reported diagnosis of hypertension.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who did not agree with the study
• Participants Who have low attendance in classes (below 50%).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group (IG); The IG followed this protocol: Week 1 - Day 1: thirty minutes of aerobic resistance exercises and 30 minutes of balance exercises; Day 2: 30 minutes of balance exercises. Week 2 - Day 1: thirty minutes of strength exercises for upper and lower limbs and 30 minutes of balance exercises; Day 2: 30 minutes of balance exercises. After week 2, the training returned to week 1 until completing ten weeks. The balance exercises used in the classes were static and dynamic, with 6 to 7 exercises and a duration of 30 to 45 minutes. In the first three weeks, the balance exercises were performed with two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. From the fourth week onwards, there was a progression to three sets of 12 repetitions, and in the last four weeks, the exercises were performed with four sets of 12 repetitions.	Behavioral: Balance exercise; Participants who were randomized to the intervention group performed 10 weeks of body balance exercise.; Behavioral: Multicomponent exercises; Participants who were randomized to the intervention or control group performed 10 weeks of multicomponent exercise.
Active Comparator: Control; Week 1 - Days 1 and 2: 30 minutes of aerobic endurance exercises and 30 minutes of flexibility exercises. Week 2: Days 1 and 2: 30 minutes of strength training for upper and lower limbs and 30 minutes of balance exercises. After week 2, the training returned to week 1 until completing the ten weeks.	Behavioral: Multicomponent exercises; Participants who were randomized to the intervention or control group performed 10 weeks of multicomponent exercise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in lower limb muscle strength	The assessments included tests of lower limb strength (sit-to-stand test) - In this test, the participant must sit down and stand up from a chair. The total number of repetitions in 30 seconds is recorded.	Baseline and after 10 weeks
Change in upper limb strength	Upper limb strength (forearm flexion test) - The forearm flexion test assesses upper body strength using two-kilogram dumbbells for women and four-kilogram dumbbells for men, a chair with a backrest (without armrests), and a stopwatch. The participant must be seated against the chair with an upright posture, performing the greatest number of bicep curls with their dominant hand in thirty seconds.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in lower limb flexibility	Lower limb flexibility (sit-and-reach test) - With the leg extended (but not overextended), the participant slowly leans forward, keeping the spine as straight as possible and the head aligned with the spine. The participant attempts to touch their toes by sliding their hands, one on top of the other, with the tips of their middle fingers, down the extended leg. The evaluator uses a 45 cm ruler and records the distance (cm) to the toes (minimum result) or the distance (cm) that can be reached beyond the toes (maximum result).	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in body balance	agility/dynamic balance (sit-to-walk 2.44m and return to sit test) - The person being evaluated starts in a seated position in a chair with an upright posture, hands on thighs and feet on the floor with one foot slightly in front of the other. At the signal, the person being evaluated gets up from the chair (they can push off with their thighs or the chair), walks as quickly as possible around the cone, returns to the chair and sits down. For reliable timing, the evaluator should start the stopwatch at the signal movement, whether or not the person has started moving, and stop the stopwatch the exact moment the person sits down in the chair.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in upper limb flexibility	Upper limb flexibility (behind-the-back reach test) - Standing, the subject places their preferred hand on the same shoulder, palm open and fingers extended, reaching as far as possible to the middle of their back (elbow pointing upwards). The hand of the other arm is placed behind the back, palm upwards, reaching upwards as far as possible in an attempt to touch or overlap the extended middle fingers of both hands. Without moving the subject's hands, the evaluator helps to verify if the middle fingers of each hand are pointing towards each other. The overlap distance, or the distance between the tips of the middle fingers, is measured to the nearest centimeter. Negative results (-) represent the shortest distance between the middle fingers; positive results (+) represent the overlap of the middle fingers.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in aerobic endurance	Aerobic endurance (6-minute walk) - At the indicated signal, participants walk as fast as possible (without running) around the course as many times as they can within the time limit. During the test, participants may stop and rest if necessary, and then resume walking. The evaluator must move onto the course after all participants have started and must record the elapsed time. The 6-minute walk test uses a 45.7 m course measured in 4.57 m segments. The distance covered in the 6-minute interval will be assessed.	Baseline and 10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in body mass	Body mass (BM) - measurement obtained in kilograms using a digital scale.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Height Assessment	Height (meters) - will be obtained using a stadiometer.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in waist circumference	waist circumference (WC) - measurement obtained in centimeters using a measuring tape	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in hip circumference	Hip circumference (HC) - a measurement obtained in centimeters using a measuring tape.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in Body Mass Index (BMI)	Body Mass Index (BMI) - will be assessed by dividing body mass in kilograms by height squared in meters.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in Percentage of fat	Percentage of fat (%BF) - a measurement obtained as a percentage using a bioimpedance scale.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in percentage of skeletal muscle	Percentage of skeletal muscle (%SM) - a measurement obtained as a percentage using a bioimpedance scale.	Baseline and 10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Federal University of Pará

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 18, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 2, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 17, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 17, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: EPAP

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No