Naidoo Shane, Naidoo Nirmala
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
S Afr J Physiother. 2025 Feb 6;81(1):2114. doi: 10.4102/sajp.v81i1.2114. eCollection 2025.
The global rise in the older population, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, has heightened the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), responsible for 74% of global deaths and the leading cause for years lived with disability. Physical activity (PA) has proven to manage NCDs; however, 80% of older adults in sub-Saharan Africa engage in low-to-moderate PA levels.
This literature review explores current evidence on the effects of PA on ageing and NCDs in older people in sub-Saharan Africa. Insights gained will enable physiotherapists to refine their PA prescriptions, aligning short-term rehabilitative goals with the broader scope NCD management while fostering principles of healthy ageing.
Electronic searches were conducted in: PubMed, EBSCOhost (Academic Search Premier - Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, Health Sources Premier), Scopus and Google-Scholar to identify peer-reviewed studies published after 2010 related to PA, ageing, NCDs and older people (OP) in sub-Saharan Africa.
A structured PA protocol, comprising aerobic activity at 60% - 79% of maximal heart rate and resistance training at 50% - 60% of one-repetition maximum (3 weekly sessions each), proved effective in reducing NCDs. Integrating lifestyle behaviour changes further enhanced outcomes, notably improving blood sugar management and cardiac health.
Structured aerobic and resistance PA, combined with lifestyle education, significantly reduces NCD risk factors in older adults, supporting healthy ageing.
The current research base in the field of ageing in SSA is limited, indicating the need for non-pharmacological interventions to manage the prevalence of NCDs, including in mental/cognitive health, where PA has a direct influence.
全球老年人口数量上升，尤其是在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，这加剧了非传染性疾病（NCDs）的影响，非传染性疾病占全球死亡人数的74%，是导致残疾生存年数的主要原因。体育活动（PA）已被证明对控制非传染性疾病有效；然而，撒哈拉以南非洲地区80%的老年人体育活动水平较低至中等。
本综述探讨了体育活动对撒哈拉以南非洲地区老年人衰老和非传染性疾病影响的现有证据。获得的见解将使物理治疗师能够完善他们的体育活动处方，使短期康复目标与更广泛的非传染性疾病管理范围保持一致，同时促进健康老龄化原则。
在以下数据库进行电子检索：PubMed、EBSCOhost（学术搜索高级版 - 全非洲信息、护理学与健康领域数据库、健康资源高级版）、Scopus和谷歌学术，以确定2010年后发表的与撒哈拉以南非洲地区体育活动、衰老、非传染性疾病和老年人相关的同行评审研究。
一项结构化的体育活动方案，包括最大心率60% - 79%的有氧运动和一次重复最大值50% - 60%的阻力训练（各每周3次），被证明对降低非传染性疾病有效。将生活方式行为改变纳入其中进一步改善了结果，特别是改善了血糖管理和心脏健康。
结构化的有氧和阻力体育活动，结合生活方式教育，可显著降低老年人非传染性疾病的风险因素，支持健康老龄化。
撒哈拉以南非洲地区老龄化领域目前的研究基础有限，这表明需要采取非药物干预措施来控制非传染性疾病的流行，包括在体育活动有直接影响的精神/认知健康方面。
