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Can natural environments enhance acute effects of rehabilitation exercise for older adults? A pilot randomized
Tong-Yue Zhou1, Xiao-Mei Yuan2, Xiao-Jun Ma3
1School of Architecture, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 501640, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
The added value of natural environments in rehabilitation exercise is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether there are more acute health benefits for older adults after a single rehabilitation exercise session performed in an outdoor natural environment compared with an indoor environment. Twenty-two nursing home residents were randomly assigned to the outdoor (n = 11, 79.5 ± 2.1 years) or indoor group (n = 11, 78.8 ± 5.2 years). Performance test outcomes were measured pre- and post-training session. The indoor group had a significantly higher blood pressure, greater increase in heart rate, higher perceived exercise intensity and physiological fatigue than the outdoor group. The combination of rehabilitation exercise with an outdoor natural environment may reduce exercise fatigue and improve cardiovascular health in older adults, with greater acute health benefits compared with an indoor environment. Rehabilitation exercise in the natural environments may be a highly valued environmental intervention for physiotherapy in older adults.
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