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Introduction: Sleep is one of the most important health indicators which demonstrates significant decline with ageing. On the other hand, one of the major problems in the later life is quality of life and sleep. Therefore, the aim of current research is to investigate the efficacy of group physical activity on sleep quality and quality of life in older adults.
Method: The current study is a quasi-experimental study with pre and post- tests and group control. The population of study was older adults who lived in Kahrizak nursing home. 30 older adults selected based on the inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned to the control (n=15) and experimental groups (n=15). The experimental groups received techniques of group physical activity for ten treatment sessions (60 minutes, two sessions per week). Statistical analysis conducted by analysis of covariance. The research instruments were Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Quality of life (SF-36).
Results: The findings of the covariance’s analysis indicated that there is a significantly difference in sleep quality between older adults in pre and post-test (p= 0.001). Also, it was observed significantly difference between mean’s scores of quality of life among older adults in pre and post-tests (p= 0.001).
Conclusion: Group physical activities have meaningful positive effects on sleep quality and quality of life in older adults. Hence, Physical exercise could be considered by psychologists in nursing homes, as an alternative or complementary approach to existing therapies for sleep problems among older adults.

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Introduction: The current study aims to investigate the relationship between fear of falling, knee joint proprioception, and physical activity level in elderly with the Fullerton Advanced Balance test.
Method: This study was a correlational research and 57 healthy elderly men were selected through available sampling method in Rasht city in 2016. Data has been gathered by using Fullerton Advanced Balance test (FAB) for measuring balance, a Beack questionnaire for measuring physical activity level, Questionnaire falling efficiency and Scale-International (FES-I) for measuring the fear of falling. Maximum isometric force muscle group in lower limb was measured by using Hand Dynamometer device, and muscle range of motion and knee-joint proprioception by using electro-goniometer device. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics by SPSS version 16 software.
Results: Results revealed a negative meaningful correlation between fear of falling and error of knee joint proprioception using Fullerton Advanced Balance test (P≤ 0.001). Moreover, the findings presented a positive, meaningful correlation between physical activity level, hamstring muscular power and Quadriceps muscle, Knee flexion and extension range of motion, plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of ankle by using Fullerton Advanced Balance test (P≤0.001).
Conclusion: Fullerton Advanced Balance test is a favorable clinical instrument which bears a high correlation with the factors of imbalance such as fear of falling, proprioception, muscular power, and range of motion. Nevertheless, more study and research is required to investigate the relationship between the psychoanalytical characteristics of Fullerton Advanced Balance scale and the effective variables in the balance and falling of the elderly.

 

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Introduction: Aging is one of the most important changes in people's lives and it seems that physical activity is one of the most effective factor in improving the quality of all aspects of the life of this era. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to assess the effect of physical activities on the quality of life, hope and life satisfaction among the elderly in Ilam city by using path analysis method.  
Method: In this research is descriptive- analytical method. Statistical population includes those who are aged 60 and above in Ilam city which 200(144 men and 56 women) of them were selected as sample population by using stratified sampling. In order to collect information we used international Physical Activities (IPAQ), Short Health Form Survey (SF-36), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Adult Hope Scale (AHS) questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS-22 and AMOS-20.
Results: Findings showed that physical activity has effects on the different aspects of the quality of life by 0/34 of path coefficient on the physical aspects of the quality of life, by 0/30 of path coefficient on the psychological aspects of the quality of life, by 0/30 of path coefficient on the hope in life and by 0/25 of path coefficient on the life satisfaction.
Conclusion: Physical activities affect the quality of the life and having hope in life among the elderly, therefore, carrying out a regular physical activity in the retirement Caring centers and parks can be used as a tool to increase the elderly health and life development.

 

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Introduction: Menopause is a natural event that occurs in adulthood that in the long term can negative effects on the people. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise on general health, happiness and life expectancy in post-menopausal and elder women.
Method: The present research in terms of strategy is descriptive and it was comparative in terms of performance. A total of 109 postmenopausal women (42 active and 67 inactive) in Shiraz (in 1395) By Available sampling method and voluntarily to participated in the study.In order to collect information, we used of the demographic information form , General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), Oxford Welfare (OHI) and Schneider Life expectancy. To analyze the data we used of SPSS/18, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and independent t-test (α= 0.05).
Results: The results showed that active postmenopausal women compared to inactive postmenopausal women are better in happiness (p=0.001).  And also active postmenopausal women significantly better in Public health than inactive postmenopausal women (p=0.001).  But there was no significant difference in the scale of the life expectancy between two group (p=0.445).
Conclusion: According to the research findings, it can be said that Physical activity and exercise can improve overall health and happiness in postmenopausal women. Therefore, It must be resolved consider to accelerate postmenopausal women's participation in sports and provide the necessary facilities to exercise for this population.

 

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Introduction: Overweight and obesity are rising in older people and in older women, the incidence of obesity is higher than in men.The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the elderly women residing in Shiraz's elderly homes and its relationship with physical activity.
Method: 186 elderly women residing in Shiraz nursing homes (2016) voluntarily participated in this descriptive - analytic study, which is a correlation type. First, we measured height and weight of subjects (for calculate BMI) and also measured Waist and hip circumference (for calculate abdominal obesity). Physical activity international questionnaire was used to assess the physical fitness status. To analyze the data we used of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test, Kruskal-Wallis test, U-Mann Whitney test and SPSS/16 (α= 0.05).
Results: The results showed that in elderly women of Shiraz nursing homes, the prevalence of general obesity was 23.7%, the prevalence of overweight was 57.5% and 18.8% had normal body mass index. Also, 87.6% of women had abdominal obesity and 12.4% had normal condition. There was a significant reverse relationship between physical activity and BMI (p = 0.001, r = -0.36) and between physical activity and abdominal obesity (p = 0.04, r = -0.86).
Conclusion: Regarding the relatively high prevalence of overweight and obesity in elderly women and its reverse relationship with the amount of physical activity, it can be concluded that the amount of physical activity in the elderly can affect on the general and abdominal obesity. Therefore, according to the specific conditions of the elderly, physical activity can be increased in order to prevent and reduce the amount of obesity and overweight.

 

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Introduction: Aging, body breakdown and physiological function decline were resulted in massive physiological changes in tissues, organs and their function, which can affect the daily living activities and the physical independence of in elderly. One of the chronic diseases of the elderly is hypertension. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to the effect of activity and spiritual health based self-care program on hypertension among the Kahrizak elderly people in the Alborz province.
Method: The present study is a quasi-experimental research that is conducted in Karaj in 2017. The data collection was done using a barometer that is calibered. The blood pressure was controlled by researcher. Also, daily living-related questionnaire and spiritual well-being questionnaire were completed. Ninty elderly were selected through non-randomly and available sampling method from Kahrizak elderly residence center in the Alborz province. The control group used routine center programs. For the test group, the program included activity of daily living and walking three times a week for 20 minutes were designed and implemented. For the self-care program group, a spiritual program (including the prayers of the verse Ayat-Alkorsi and Salavat) was designed and implemented, in addition to the program of the test group. Then, SPSS 16 software were used for data analysis.
Results: According to the Chi-square test, the elderly did not show significant differences concerning age, sex, and disease duration (p> 0.05). Based on Kruskal-Wallis test, the mean  blood pressures in three groups the control, was significantly different (p <0.05). The Mann-Whitney test revealed no significant difference between the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures between the two groups of test and self-care group (p> 0.05).
Conclusion: The results show that the application of activity and spiritual health based self care program is efficient on the elderly affected by hypertension. It is suggested that self-care Model with a focus on activity and spiritual health usage, to be considered for other diseases.
 

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Introduction: interaction between the physical and cognitive factors of the elderly can have a significant impact on their quality of life and affect on design of health-based mechanisms for the elderly. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of physical activity on the retrospective and prospective memory performance in elderly.
 Method: The present research is a causal-comparative study. The sample consisted of 178 elderly. All participants were asked to complete the physical activity level Questionnaire of Champs and elders was placed in three groups with low physical activity (n=56), moderate (n=63) and high (n=59). Retrospective and prospective memory was evaluated through Crawford Questionnaire.
 Results: The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the performance of prospective memory in the elderly group with a high and moderate activity level with  prospective memory of the elderly group with a low level of activity (P = 0.001). Also, the results of variance analysis indicated that there is a significant difference between retrospective memory performance in elderly group with physical activity levels (P = 0.004).
Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that in elderly, different levels of physical activity significantly effect on the memory performance. So, one can expect that the elderly with regular physical activity will prevent the occurrence of many memory problems over time. This study suggests that Elderly people put up high-level physical exercises in their daily routine to prevent cognitive decline in retrospective and prospective memory.

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Introduction: Quality of sleep and quality of life are two very important factors that improving them can help improve the quality of life of the elderly, in which exercise and physical activity play an important role. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically review studies on the effect of exercise and physical activity on sleep quality and quality of life in the elderly in Iran.
Method: International databases of PubMed (Medline), Science Direct and Scopus and Persian databases including Jihad Daneshgahi Scientific Database, Iran Research Institute of Scientific Information and Documents (Irandak) and Database of Iranian Publications (Magiran) and Google Scholar scientific search engine was also searched in English and Farsi until October 6, 2020, using the keywords "Physical activity", "Exercise training", "Iran", "Elderly", "Sleep quality" and "Quality of life". A total of 824 articles were retrieved. After screening, the full text of 27 articles on the effects of exercise on sleep quality and quality of life of the elderly in Iran were reviewed. Finally, 18 articles that were qualitatively appropriate and met the inclusion criteria were dissected and examined.
Findings: Different aerobic, resistance and combined exercises have a significant effect on improving the sleep quality of Iranian elderly. Also, various exercise training and physical activity have a significant relationship with improving the quality of life of Iranian elderly.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that exercise and physical activity in the elderly of Iran improves their sleep quality and quality of life without side effects. Due to this issue, there is a need for effective planning and interventions in the field of exercise and physical activity for the elderly.

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Introduction: The rapid growth of the elderly population and the sedentary and mechanical lifestyle of the present age, on the other hand, double the physical, psychological, social and economic problems in old age and affect the quality of life of individuals. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity and various dimensions of quality of life in the elderly.
Method: The present study is descriptive and cohort type. 240 elderly people of Lahijan county were selected as a sample in 2021 through sports delegations and the presence location of non-athlete elderly people. Descriptive tests, independent groups t-test, Spearman correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney U test were used and all statistical operations were performed using SPSS software version 23.
Results: The results showed that the mean of physical health variables in active elderly was 22.98 and inactive 19.88, environmental in active elderly was 25.42 and inactive was 22.6, psychological state of active elderly was 20.79 and inactive was 17.6 and the quality of life of active elderly is 79.05 and inactive is 67.53. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the quality of life of active and inactive elderly (P˂0.01).
Conclusion: It is suggested that health planning managers try to remove barriers, strengthen the motivation of the elderly to participate in sports, and focus their attention on improving the quality of life of the elderly. 

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Introduction: The social isolation caused by the pandemic of Covid-19 affected all aspects of life and different groups of society, one of which was the elderly affected by the disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gender and physical activity on the quality of life and sleep of the elderly in Kurdistan province after one year of the beginning of the pandemic of Covid-19.
Methods: The current research method is causal-comparative. 184 people (>60 years) participated in the study in a clustering method and proportion to the population of Kurdistan's cities. Baecke Physical Activity, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality, and Leiden-Padua questionnaires were used to collect information on physical activity, sleep, and quality of life, respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the research data.
Results: The results showed that gender had no significant effect on sleep quality but had a significant effect on the quality of life on the scales of depression and anxiety, and sexual performance (P=0.001). However, physical activity has a significant effect on both sleep quality (P=0.02) and quality of life (P<0.001).
Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that physical activity can reduce sleep problems in the elderly, especially problems caused by sleep latency, subjective sleep quality, and sleep disturbances. Findings also showed Physical activity plays a key role in increasing the quality of life of the elderly in terms of physical, social, and sexual performance, and also self-care. Results also showed, that physical activity has a positive effect on the quality of sleep and life of the elderly and can be useful in reducing complaints caused by related problems. It also showed that in stressful conditions, women suffer from depression and anxiety, and sexual problems more than men and experience a lower quality of life.

 

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Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is associated with decreased muscle strength, muscle activity, and impaired knee range of motion (ROM). This study aimed to investigate the effect of Swedish massage on pain, the flexion of knee joint ROM, the electrical activity of the quadriceps muscles, and their co-contraction with the hamstring muscles during walking in women with medial compartment KOA.
Materials and Methods: 30 patients with KOA participated in this randomized clinical trial study. Patients were randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the massage intervention for four weeks. The patient's pain, the electrical activity of muscles around the knee, and the knee joint ROM were measured in pre-and post-tests. For data analysis, SPSS software was used.
Results: The level of pain (p=0.008) and the flexion range of motion (p=0.033) of the patients showed a significant improvement in the post-test. The electrical activity of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis muscles increased after the test, but the electrical activity of the semitendinosus and biceps femoris muscles did not show a significant change. Also, the co-contraction ratio of the vastus lateralis-biceps femoris muscles also showed a significant improvement (p=0.020), but the ratio between the vastus medialis-semitendinosus muscles didn’t show a significant decrease (p=0.091).
Conclusion: Considering the improvement of the symptoms and consequences of KOA following the application of massage intervention in this study, it seems that using this intervention along with other medical and therapeutic interventions is beneficial for patients with KOA.

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Introduction: Physical activity and aerobic exercises have anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effects in compensating for the problems and gaps caused by psychological issues among the older adult. Epidemiological studies show that physical activity is related to better mental health and flexibility against mental distress, such as depression and anxiety symptoms. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to understand the analysis of the older adults about having physical activity in the neighborhood environment and the effect It depends on their old age and mental health.
Method: The current research is qualitative and among interpretive studies that was carried out using the phenomenology research strategy. The data collection tool is an in-depth interview. In order to interpret and analyze the data obtained in this section, Dickelman, Allen, and Turner's approach was used. The target population in this research is older adults who have physical activity in the environment of the Ekhtiyarieh neighborhood in Tehran, who lived in the neighborhood for more than one year. 24 participants in this research were selected based on purposeful sampling between December 2020 and February 2022.
Results: Physical activity in the neighborhood is a way to compensate for the gaps caused by aging, the main theme and physical activity in the neighborhood is a way to compensate for the fear of aging, physical activity in the neighborhood is a way to compensate for a lot of free time, Physical activity in the neighborhood to compensate for the neglect of the older adult, physical activity in the neighborhood for the activism of the older adult, and physical activity in the neighborhood environment are examples of the resilience of the sub-themes obtained in this research.
Conclusion: When older adults are physically active, their minds are distracted from daily stressors. Physical activity in the neighborhood is a solution that the older adults use to deal with mental injuries and voids caused by aging.
 

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Introduction: Musical stimuli affect emotions, cognition, and other human characteristics, in health or disease. Today, an increasing number of healthcare centers, rehabilitation facilities, and daily programs for older adults recognize music therapy as a Non-invasive and sustainable intervention useful intervention. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the applications of music therapy among older adults.
Methods: The present study was conducted with the aim of a systematic review of the effects of music therapy on older adults, following the principle of PRISMA and the descriptive-analytical method. For this purpose, a standard search was conducted in reliable reference databases, based on the keywords: music therapy, Music activity, nonpharmacological therapy for Elderly, and elderly, in articles published between 2010 and 2023. After the final screening, the full text of 19 articles was extracted and analyzed.
Results: Based on the interpretation of the qualitative findings (content) of the articles, it was determined that the effects of music therapy on older adults can be placed in three areas: neurological and psychological, sensory-motor, and social. Singing, playing music, and playing instruments are useful for improving physical and mental health, sensory-motor rehabilitation, treating depression, improving sleep quality, reducing feelings of loneliness, improving Alzheimer's symptoms, improving verbal communication, and also improving the quality of life of older adults.
Conclusion: The present study showed that music therapy has significant effects in old age. Therefore, to improve and increase the cognitive, psychological, and health functions of older adults, taking into account the cultural and social facilities in medical and health centers, music therapy interventions can be effectively and timely used by trained professionals.