Remotely-delivered mind-body physical activity improves physical function in older adults

Objectives: To examine the effect of remotely-delivered mind-body physical activity on physical function in older adults.

Methods: It was a quasi-experimental trial with a wait-listed control group carried out in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention, known as the Positive Movement Programme (PMP), incorporates elements of yoga, tai chi, qigong, the Alexander technique for pain relief and elements of mindfulness. Participants were given two one-hour sessions of PMP each week for eight weeks. Each session was delivered using Zoom, with the physical activity component of the programme followed by a period of socialisation. Physical function was evaluated using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). In addition, the individual components of the SPPB, which are balance, gait speed and the Five-times Sit-To-Stand (5STS), were also compared.

Results: All participants completed the trial. There was a significant improvement of 4.1 seconds for 5STS for the experimental group when compared to the controls. This equates to a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.03; 95% CI: 0.8, 3.2). No significant differences were observed for balance, gait speed, or for the total SPPB score.

Conclusion: Remotely-delivered mind-body physical activity was able to improve physical function in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future work is needed to determine whether remotely-delivered physical activity could be an alternative to face-to-face sessions for older people with limited mobility who have problems attending classes in person.