RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effect of sport on health in people aged 60 years and older: a systematic review with meta-analysis
JF British Journal of Sports Medicine
JO Br J Sports Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
SP 230
OP 236
DO 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105820
VO 57
IS 4
A1 Juliana S Oliveira
A1 Stephen Gilbert
A1 Marina B Pinheiro
A1 Anne Tiedemann
A1 Liane Brito Macedo
A1 Laísa Maia
A1 Wing Kwok
A1 Leanne Hassett
A1 Catherine Sherrington
YR 2023
UL http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/4/230.abstract
AB Objectives To summarise evidence of benefits of sport for health among people aged 60+.Design Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).Data sources Medline, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database from inception to April 2021.Study selection RCTs investigating the effect of sport on health-related outcomes in people aged 60+ compared with non-active control.Data synthesis and analysis Pooled effect sizes were calculated using random-effect models. Standardised mean differences (SMD), and mean difference (MD) were calculated. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system was used to assess the certainty of the evidence for analyses with ≥3 studies.Results Nine trials (628 participants) reported in 15 articles were included. Participation in sport improved cardiorespiratory fitness (n=5 trials; SMD=0.43, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.70; low certainty evidence), physical function (n=4; SMD=0.62, 95% CI 0.05 to 1.18; very low certainty evidence), and mental health (n=2; SMD=0.28, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.51) and reduced fat mass (n=6; MD=−0.99 kg, 95% CI −1.75kg to −0.23 kg; low certainty evidence) among older people. We found no significant effects of sport on overall physical activity participation, strength, balance, lean mass and bone mineral density (BMD). One study investigating quality of life reported a positive, but non-significant effect of sport.Conclusion Sport may have a positive impact on health outcomes in people aged 60+. There was uncertainty on the effect of sport on strength, balance, lean mass and BMD. Further research is needed to investigate the optimal type and dose of sport to maximise the long-term benefits among older people.