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. 2022 Dec 14;19(24):16773.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416773.

Benefits of Cycling Wheelchair Training for Elderly with Physical Disability: A Prospective Cohort Study

Jimmy Chun-Ming Fu  1 , Pin-Kuei Fu  2   3   4 , Yuan-Yang Cheng  1   4   5
Affiliations

Benefits of Cycling Wheelchair Training for Elderly with Physical Disability: A Prospective Cohort Study

Jimmy Chun-Ming Fu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Aim: In order to investigate the effect of cycling wheelchair training as an exercise for aged 65+ disabled patients on cognitive function, quality of life, aerobic capacity and physiological parameters.

Methods: Participants in nursing home performed cycling wheelchair training for 30 min a day, 5 days a week, for a total of 4 weeks. The main outcome measure was the short form 12 survey (SF-12). Other outcome measures included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), aero bike work rate test, resting blood pressure, and heart rate.

Results: In this study, 41 volunteers were recruited and no participants dropped out of the study voluntarily during training, and no serious adverse effect was identified. Physical and mental component summary total scores of SF-12 were significantly higher after training with statistical significance (p = 0.001). 8 subscales also showed significant improvements after training (p = 0.025 ~ <0.001). Total MMSE score has no difference before and after training. Attention/calculation (p = 0.018), short term memory (p = 0.041), and aerobic capacity (p < 0.001) as measured by subscales of MMSE and aero bike test showed marked improvements, while resting systolic blood pressure (p = 0.931) and heart rate (p = 0.793) did not change.

Conclusions: Cycling wheelchair is practical for the disabled elderly to exercise, and a 4-week exercise program enhanced their quality of life and aerobic capacity.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05487898.

Keywords: aged; disable; exercise; quality of life; wheelchair.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The scene of cycling wheelchair training (left) and the setting of aero bike test (right).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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