The effects of modified martial arts on older adults

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Jennifer Ann Schachner (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
William Karper

Abstract: Older adults are at a high risk for falls and diseases that can be prevented or controlled by achieving the recommended daily amounts of activity as outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008). Despite this knowledge, older adults continue to be the least active demographic in the United States, not only placing them at higher risk for disease, but increased risk of falls and decreases in quality of life (Bean, Vora, & Frontera, 2004; Nelson, Rejeski, Blair, Duncan & Judge, 2007). The objective for this project was to implement a modified martial arts program for older adults over the age of 60, and determine its impact on physical performance measures and self-efficacy. Testing the working hypothesis that participating in a modified martial arts program increased strength, endurance, balance and self-efficacy of adults over the age of 60 achieved this aim. The approach to testing this hypothesis was to conduct a pre-post intervention study, where participants over the age of 60 were tested on the Sit to Stand, 8-foot Up and Go, Arm Curl, 4-point Balance Scale and Self-efficacy for Exercise Scale (SEE) before and after a 12-week modified martial arts program. The rationale of this research was based on preliminary findings that strongly suggested that martial arts programs have positive effects on participants, but studies had not fully addressed older populations or the modifications needed to make older adult training more effective. New findings in this regard provided further evidence of the effectiveness of a modified martial arts program in increasing the muscle strength, muscle endurance, balance and self-efficacy in adults over the age of 60. This project is significant in that it identified the extent to which martial arts training could be a safe, effective and engaging exercise opportunity, thereby encouraging greater participation in physical activity among older adult.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
Adapted Martial Arts, Older Adults
Subjects
Older people $x Health and hygiene
Physical fitness for older people
Exercise for older people
Martial arts $x Health aspects

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