Multicomponent exercises on quality of life and balance in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and objectives: Aging involves morphological, physiological, and neuromuscular changes such as progressive decrease in muscle mass and strength. This modification causes loss of independence due to alterations in balance decreasing quality of life. The objective was to carry out a systematic review with meta-analysis on the effectiveness of multicomponent exercises on quality of life and balance in older adults. Materials and methods Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of multicomponent exercises that evaluated effects on balance and quality of life in older adults. We searched for RCTs in a systematic and automated way in the databases Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PubMed, PEDro. The methodological quality was assessed with the Cochrane collaboration tool. The coefficients of the meta-analysis were represented in forest plots. Result Of the 110 records found, five were selected for quantitative synthesis. 354 participants in interventions between one and twelve months were evaluated. The general effect on the physical dimension of quality of life was 0.322 (95% CI: 0.053−0.590), in its mental dimension it was −0.076 (95% CI: −0.344−0.191). While for equilibrium it was 0.515 (95% CI: 0.030−0.999). Conclusions In older adults, multicomponent training is an adequate strategy to increase balance, reducing the risk of falls. Also, the most effective combination of strength, balance, aerobic, and stretching activities remains unclear. Although the physical component of the quality of life has a positive impact, these results are not conclusive (AU)