IMPACT OF A NEW YEAR BREAK IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON BODY COMPOSITION IN PHYSICALLY ACTIVE OLDER WOMEN: A RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL PILOT STUDY
IMPACT OF A NEW YEAR BREAK IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON BODY COMPOSITION IN PHYSICALLY ACTIVE OLDER WOMEN: A RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL PILOT STUDY

Summary/Abstract: Regular physical activity is crucial for maintaining health at every stage of life. This study aimedto assess the impact of a 14-day pause from regular physical activity during the New Year Break(NYB) on body mass components in physically active women over 60 years old. The study sampleconsisted of 26 females, divided into two groups: 12 who continued their physical activity (theContinuous Activity Group, CAG) and 14 who paused during the NYB (the Break Group, BG). Bodymass, body fat percentage (BF%), and body mass index (BMI) were measured using the bioimped-ance method, and the fat mass index (FMI) was calculated. A two-way mixed-model ANOVA re-vealed significant interactions between the NYB condition and time for BMI, BF%, and FMI(P < 0.05). These results suggest that changes in these body composition metrics over time wereinfluenced by the NYB condition, with women who discontinued physical activity experiencingsignificant increases in BMI, body fat percentage, and fat mass, as confirmed by post-hoc tests(P < 0.05). Conversely, women who maintained regular physical activity showed no significantchanges in body composition (P > 0.05). These findings underscore the importance of continuousphysical activity in mitigating adverse changes in body composition among older women.

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