Abstract

Increased life expectancy in Indonesia brings about an increase in the number of elderlies. The aging process leads to various health consequences, one of which being postural imbalance. Gymnastics for the elderly may be one of the options to improve the balance system and the quality of life of elderly. This study aims to determine the effect of the intensity of exercise on postural balance in elderly. This experimental study was conducted at Dr Kariadi Hospital in Semarang in the period of August-October 2019. The subjects of the research were subjects aged 60-74 years old. Postural balance was measured using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Association between the intensity of exercise and the change of BBS was analyzed using Mann-Whitney test. Independent predictors were investigated using multivariate linear regression. Thirty-nine subjects were divided into two exercise groups: group 1 with exercise frequency of once a week and group 2 with exercise frequency of three times a week. The majority of subjects in this study were women (89,7%). There were significant differences in post-experimental BBS and change of BBS between two groups (p

Key words: berg balance scale, elderly, gymnastics for elderly, postural balance