Abstract
Introduction:
Aging in motor development is represented by a retrogenesis process that refers to gradual losses in motor components. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors can influence this process.
Objective:
The aimed of this study was to evaluate and compare the motor development of older adults considering the gender and age group. Method: A total of 218 healthy older adults aged 60-79 years old were included. Four groups were formed according to gender and age group: G1 (n=64) - female, 60-69 years old; G2 (n=45) - female, 70-79 years old; G3 (n=66) - male, 60-69 years old; G4 (n=43) - male, 70-79 years old. The Motor Scale for Older Adults (MSOA) was used. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal Wallis and Dunn post hoc test.
Results:
Most of the older adults presented Motor Development within the normal range. The group of older women of 70-79 years old presented low mean values (=87.7, SD=12.4), being statistically different when compared to the others groups. The areas: Global Coordination (p=0.001), Balance (p=0.001) and Body Scheme (p=0.012), presented significant statistical differences between the groups. In this analysis, women reached lower scores in most of the evaluated areas.
Conclusion:
The older women with more advanced age presented major impairment in motor development when compared to older men and older women with 60-69 years old.
Keywords:
Aging; Human Development; Motor Skills