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Thesis (MPH) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic lifestyle disease without a cure, and medical emphasis is on management to avoid short and long term diabetes related problems/complications. It is very important for patients to be knowledgeable on the role of diet, physical exercise and self-monitoring. The main objective of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the diabetes mellitus patients about the benefit of physical activity. METHODOLOGY: The was a cross sectional descriptive study that assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices amongst diabetes mellitus patients on physical activity at Block 6 clinic in Gaborone, Botswana. The researcher administered questionnaires with individual patients to investigate how well they understood their condition, their attitude towards exercise and the extent to which they have adopted exercise as part of their diabetes control. A total of 140 diabetic patients participated in the study. RESULTS: The results of the study revealed that participants had good knowledge of symptoms of diabetes (97.9%), complications that can result when diabetes is not well controlled (76.4%) and urine analysis test (65%). The results also showed that majority of the participants had fair knowledge (62.1%) and only (20.0%) had good knowledge; (89.4%) had positive attitude, and only 10.6% had negative attitude towards physical exercise. The results show that 59.6% had low level of physical activity, 31.3% did not exercise, whilst only 9.1% reported that they exercised adequately. CONCLUSION The study reveals a variation between diabetes related health knowledge, attitude, and practice in among those who are affected by diabetes. The knowledge and practice levels were relatively low. Nevertheless majority of the study participants had positive attitude towards Physical Activity. Keywords: Diabetes, knowledge, attitude, Practice, Physical

Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases worldwide. There is evidence of the rising incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle in developing countries. Physical activity has been regarded as a commonly accepted modality for treating hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine if physical activity levels are associated with hypertension among employees of Kigali Institute Science and Technology in Kigali,Rwanda. A quantitative, cross- sectional design was used and all staff members (325 employees) of Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) represented the study population. Random sampling was used to determine the study sample. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire adopted from The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 15.0. Descriptive statistics using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations and inferential statistics using Chi-square tests were employed. The data were presented with use tables,figures,graphs, and pie charts. Ethical issues including obtaining permission for conducting the study, informe consent,anonymity,confidentiality, voluntary participation, and the right to withdraw from the study was observed in this study. The study found a prevalence of 34% participants with hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension was associated with age, smoking, drinking alcohol, suffering for diabetes mellitus, and body mass index (BMI). Over one-fifth of the participants in the physically active group were hypertensive while 68% of the participants in the physically inactive group were hypertensive. This study shows that hypertension status is strongly associated with physical activity levels [X² = 20.381 with (P<0.001)]. The study further showed that smoking and suffering from diabetes mellitus were also associated with levels of physical activity (P = 0.003 and p = 0.004 respectively). The current study concludes that physical activity is needed for employees at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology as part of preventive measures for chronic diseases of lifestyle. Therefore, the recommendations were proposed to various categories of people and stakeholders to be actively involved in the promotion of physical activity among employees of Kigali Universities in Rwanda. / Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio)

Bakalauro darbe analizuojamos 14 – 18 metų moksleivių nugaros skausmų priežastys. Iškelta hipotezė: tikėtina, kad nugaros skausmų priežastys gali būti: 1) mažai judrus gyvenimo būdas (pamokos mokykloje, darbas kompiuteriu, ilgas televizoriaus žiūrėjimas, ilgalaikis buvimas vienoje padėtyje), 2) ilgalaikės netaisyklingos padėtys (netaisyklingas sėdėjimas, stovėjimas, svorių kėlimas, perkėlimas, nešimas), 3) dažnai atliekami nesaugūs pratimai. Tyrime buvo panaudota pusiau uždaro tipo anketa. Ją sudarė: demografinis blokas (duomenys apie tyriamuosius) – lytis, amžius, mokykla, klasė; 2) klausimų blokas, skirtas išsiaiškinti ar tiriamieji skundžiasi nugaros skausmais, 3) klausimų blokas, atskleisti nugaros skausmų pasireiškimo priežastis. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti 14 – 18 metų moksleivių nugaros skausmų priežastis. Tyrime dalyvavo 114 IX – XII klasių moksleiviai (nuo 14 iki 18 metų amžiaus), iš dviejų Radviliškio miesto gimnazijų. Atlikus tyrimą paaiškėjo, kad 54% 14 – 18 metų moksleivių skundžiasi nugaros skausmais. Tyrimo hipotezė pasitvirtino, kad nugaros skausmus šiame amžiuje gali sukelti: 1) Nepakankamas mokinių fizinis aktyvumas (69% mokinių renkasi pasyvias laisvalaikio praleidimo formas ir prie kompiuterio praleidžia daugiau nei 2 h per dieną). 2) Netaisyklingos padėtys sėdint bei keliant, perkeliant ir nešant daiktus (tik trečdalis moksleivių pasirinko taisyklingas padėtis). 3) Populiarūs diskutuotini (nesaugūs) pratimai (tik trečdalis moksleivių jų visiškai neatlieka)... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This bachelor theses analyses the causes of the back pain of the secondary school students of the age 14 to 18. The hypotheses: it is likely that the causes of the back pain might be: 1) sedentary lifestyle (lessons at school, working on the computer, TV viewing, permanent staying in one position), 2) permanent wrong posture (wrong sitting, standing, weight lifting, movement, bearing), 3) frequent unsafe exercises. The semi-open questionaires were used during the research. The questionaires consisted of: demographic block (exploratory data) – sex, age, school, class; 2) questions block designed in order to explore whether persons under investigation have any complains about the back pain, 3) questions block designed in order to explore the causes of the back pain. The aim of the research is to determine the causes of the back pain of the students of age 14 to 18. 114 students (aged 14 to 18) from the 9-12 classes of the two Radviliškis city gymnasiums participated in the research. The study has shown that 54 per cent of all students aged 14 to 18 has ailments about the back pain. The hypothesis of the research was approved that the back pain of this age may be influenced by: 1) Low levels of physical activity (69 per cent of students prefer passive leisure activites and spends more than two hours using the computer). 2) Wrong positions while sitting, lifting, moving and bearing things (only one-third of the students selected appropriate position). 3) Popular negotiable... [to full text]

Objetivo: verificar os efeitos de intervenções fisioterapêuticas, laser de baixa potência (LBP) e exercícios físicos (EF), de forma associada ou isolada, na osteoartrite de joelhos (OAJ). Método: Ensaio clínico randomizado, controlado, cego. Participaram da pesquisa 60 indivíduos de ambos os sexos, idade entre 45 e 75 anos, com diagnóstico radiográfico de OAJ graus 1 a 3, os quais foram randomizados em quatro grupos: 1) Grupo controle (GC, n=15): pacientes com OAJ e sem tratamento; 2) Grupo laser (GL, n=15): pacientes com OAJ e tratados com LBP (808nm, 5,6J); 3) Grupo exercício (GE, n=15): pacientes com OAJ e tratados com EF; 4) Grupo laser e exercício (GLE, n=15): pacientes com OAJ e tratados com LBP e EF. As avaliações foram realizadas no Laboratório de Avaliação e Reabilitação do Equilíbrio, no início e após dois meses, incluindo o questionário WOMAC (dor, rigidez e função física); avaliação das variáveis espaço-temporais da marcha pelo equipamento GAITRite; avaliação do torque dos músculos extensores de joelho pelo dinamômetro isocinético Biodex e a funcionalidade (teste de transpor degrau e teste de levantar-se de uma cadeira) pelo equipamento Balance Master. O tratamento foi realizado durante dois meses, 2x por semana. Na análise estatística foi utilizado o teste de Wilcoxon (dados não paramétricos) e o teste Anova Two Way seguido do teste post hoc de Tukey (dados paramétricos), com nível de significância de 5%, usando o software SPSS. Resultados: no questionário WOMAC, houve diferença apenas na comparação pré e após 2 meses (intragrupo) para o GE nas variáveis: dor (p=0,006), função (p=0,01) e na pontuação total do WOMAC (p=0,01). Na marcha, na análise intragrupo, os grupos que receberam intervenção (GL, GE e GLE) apresentaram redução significativa apenas na duração da fase de apoio direito (p=0,014; p=0,011; p=0,035, respectivamente). Na avaliação intergrupo, ocorreu um aumento significativo na velocidade da marcha dos grupos que receberam intervenção (GL, GE e GLE) comparado ao GC (p=0,03; p=0,04 e p=0,005 respectivamente), na cadência ocorreu aumento apenas no GLE em comparação ao GC (0,009). Ainda na avaliação intergrupo, na duração da fase de apoio direito, os grupos GE (p=0,035) e GLE (p=0,003) apresentaram diminuição significativa em relação ao GC e na duração da fase de apoio único direito, apenas o GLE apresentou aumento significativo (p=0,04) em relação ao GC. Na análise isocinética do torque dos extensores de joelho, apenas na avaliação intergrupo após 2 meses, o membro inferior esquerdo apresentou aumento significativo nos grupos GE (p=0,03) e GLE (p=0,04) em relação ao GC. Na avaliação intragrupo da funcionalidade, apresentaram diminuição significativa (p=0,04) apenas o GLE no teste de transpor degrau (variável: tempo de movimento do membro direito) e apenas o GE (p=0,04) no teste de levantar-se da posição sentada (variável: tempo de transferência do movimento). Conclusão: de uma maneira geral, os grupos: GE e GLE apresentaram mais benefícios quando comparados aos grupos GC e GL, o que sugere que o EF deve ser incluído no tratamento da OAJ, podendo ser acrescido do LBP. / Objective: To verify the effects of physical therapy interventions, low level laser therapy (LLLT) and physical exercises (PE), in an associated or isolated way, on knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Method: Randomized, controlled and blind clinical trial. Sixty individuals, both sexes, aged 45 to 75 years, with radiographic diagnosis of KOA, grades 1 to 3, were randomly assigned into four groups: 1) Control group (CG, n=15): patients with KOA, without treatment; 2) Laser group (LG, n=15): patients with KOA, treated with LLLT (808nm, 5.6J); 3) Exercise group (EG, n=15): patients with KOA, treated with PE; 4) Laser and Exercise group (LEG, n=15): patients with KOA, treated with LLLT and PE. The evaluations were performed at Laboratory of Assessment and Rehabilitation of Equilibrium, in the beginning and after 2 months, including the WOMAC questionnaire (pain, stiffness and physical function); evaluation of spatiotemporal gait variables was performed on GAITRite equipment; evaluation of knee extensor muscle torque using the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer and the functionality (step up/over and sit-to-stand test) through the Balance Master equipment. The treatment was performed for 2 months, twice a week. In the statistical analysis, Wilcoxon test (non-parametric data), and Anova Two Way followed Tukey\'s post hoc test (parametric data) were used, with significance level of 5%, using SPSS software. Results: in the WOMAC questionnaire, mean difference only in the comparison intragroup for the EG in the variables: pain (p=0.006), physical function (p=0.01) and total WOMAC (p=0.01). Regarding gait variables, in the intragroup analysis, the only variable that presented a significant difference was the duration of the right support phase, and the LG, EG and LEG had a significant decrease in this variable (p=0.014, p=0.011, p=0.035, respectively) in relation to the pre-treatment period. In the intergroup evaluation, a significant increase in gait speed occurred in the groups: GL, GE and GLE compared to the CG (p=0.03, p=0.04 and p=0.005, respectively). In the cadence there was a significant increase only in the LEG compared to the CG (0.009). In the duration of the right support phase, the GE and GLE groups presented a significant decrease (p=0.035 and p=0.003, respectively) in relation to the CG. In the analysis of the duration of single right limb support, only the LEG presented a significant increase (p=0.04) in relation to the CG. In the isokinetic analysis of the torque of knee extensors, only in the intergroup evaluation after 2 months, the left lower limb presented significant increase in the EG (p=0.03) and LEG (p=0.04) groups in relation to the CG. In the step up/over test, in the intragroup evaluation, only the LEG showed a significant decrease (p=0.04) in the transfer time variable in the intragroup comparison. In the sit-to-stand test, in the variable of time of transfer, only the EG showed a significant decrease (p=0.04) in the intragroup comparison. Conclusion: in general, the groups: EG and LEG presented more benefits when compared to the GC and GL groups, this suggests that EF should be included in the treatment of KOA, and may be added to LLLT.

Introdução: déficits no equilíbrio e na marcha após um Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) são comuns e, frequentemente, influenciados pelas alterações no controle postural. Um dos pilares da reabilitação pós-AVC visa a melhora do equilíbrio e marcha desses sujeitos, a qual baseia-se no treinamento multimodal, que combina dois ou mais tipos de exercícios (cardiorrespiratório, força, flexibilidade e equilíbrio, por exemplo). Como estratégia complementar de treinamento para potencializar o equilíbrio e a marcha em sujeitos pós-AVC, têm sido recomendadas as intervenções realizadas em ambiente de Realidade Virtual (RV). No entanto, os efeitos do treino multimodal em ambiente real e em ambiente virtual, sobre o equilíbrio e marcha, ainda são inconsistentes, tornando-se necessária a análise de sua efetividade. Objetivo: investigar os efeitos isolados e da combinação de exercícios físicos multimodais em ambiente real e virtual no equilíbrio e na marcha em sujeitos pós-AVC. Método: trata-se de um ensaio clínico aleatório, com três grupos amostrais. O Grupo Multimodal Real (GMR) recebeu intervenção de exercícios baseada nas diretrizes para prescrição de exercícios físicos para AVC de Billinger et.al (2014); o Grupo Multimodal Virtual (GMV) recebeu exercícios físicos baseado em jogos em ambiente de realidade virtual; já o Grupo Multimodal Combinado (GMC) recebeu uma combinação entre as intervenções dos dois outros grupos sendo, uma das sessões semanais composta por exercícios físicos multimodais realizados em ambiente real e a outra, por jogos em ambiente de realidade virtual. Os três protocolos tiveram a duração de quinze semanas com sessões de sessenta minutos, duas vezes por semana. Como medidas de avaliação, foram aplicados, por avaliadores cegos, o Teste de Levantar e Caminhar, a Escala de Equilíbrio de Berg, o Teste de Caminhada de 6 Minutos e o Teste de Caminhada de 10 Metros. Todas as avaliações foram aplicadas antes, após e um mês do término da intervenção. Para o tratamento matemático e análise estatística dos dados, foram utilizados os programas Microsoft Office Excel e IBM SPSS Statistics versão 20; foi adotado um nível de significância de 5% e realizou-se uma Anova Three-Way. Resultados: 48 sujeitos foram agrupados randomicamente nos três grupos amostrais. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos, em nenhuma das medidas de avaliação. No entanto, houve diferença significante intragrupo entre pré-teste e pós-teste no equilíbrio do GMR e, nos mesmos momentos, na capacidade funcional de marcha e na velocidade auto selecionada de marcha do GMC. Conclusão: não houve diferença entre realizar exercícios físicos multimodais em ambiente real, em ambiente virtual e/ou em ambiente combinado no que diz respeito ao equilíbrio, à marcha e à mobilidade de sujeitos pós-AVC; não havendo, portanto, efeito adicional na combinação de exercícios físicos em ambiente real e virtual / Introduction: deficits in balance and gait following stroke are common and often influenced by changes in postural control. One of the aims of post-stroke rehabilitation is the improvement of the balance and gait, which is based on multimodal training, that combines two or more types of exercises (cardiorespiratory, strength, flexibility and balance, for example). As a complementary training strategy to improve balance and gait in post-stroke subjects, interventions have also been performed in Virtual Reality (VR) environment. However, the effects of multimodal training in real environment and virtual environment, on balance and gait, are still inconsistent. Therefore, there is a need to investigate its effectiveness. Objective: to investigate the isolated and the combinate effects of multimodal physical exercises in real and virtual environment in balance and gait of post-stroke subjects. Method: this is a randomized clinical trial with three sample groups. The Real Multimodal Group (RMG) received exercise intervention based on the guidelines for physical exercise prescription for stroke of Billinger et.al (2014); the Virtual Multimodal Group (VMG) received physical exercise intervention based on games in a virtual reality environment; the Combined Multimodal Group (CMG) received, as an intervention protocol, a combination of the interventions of the two other groups previously described, in this way, one of the weekly sessions was composed of multimodal physical exercises performed in real environment and the other, by games in a virtual reality environment. The three protocols lasted for fifteen weeks and the sessions had approximately sixty minutes and occurred twice a week. As evaluation measures, the Time Up and Go Test, the Berg Balance Scale, the 6-Minute Walk Test, and the 10-Meter Walk Test were applied by blind assessors. All evaluations were applied before, after and one month after the intervention. For the mathematical treatment and statistical analysis of the data, the programs Microsoft Office Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics version 20 were used; a significance level of 5% was adopted and the Anova Three-Way was used. Results: 48 subjects were randomly grouped into the three sample groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in any of the evaluation measures. However, there was a significant intragroup difference between pre-test and post-test in the balance of RMG and in the same moments in gait functional capacity and in the self-selected gait speed of the CMG. Conclusion: there was no difference between performing multimodal physical exercises in the real environment, in a virtual environment and/or in a combined environment regarding the balance, gait and mobility of post-stroke subjects; therefore, there is no additional effect on the combination of physical exercises in real and virtual environment

O envelhecimento populacional é, hoje, fenômeno mundial consequente a um crescimento mais elevado da população idosa com relação aos demais grupos etários. O declínio da habilidade física e mental freqüentemente associado ao envelhecimento tem implicações sociais, econômicas e com a saúde pública. O presente estudo realizado com idosos residentes no município de Batatais-SP, objetivou estudar algumas características dos idosos, a prática de exercício físico e a cognição. Pesquisou-se 400 idosos de ambos os sexos, com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos, utilizando-se um questionário estruturado;o Questionário de Atividade Física Internacional (IPAQ)-versão curta e para a avaliação cognitiva o mini-exame do estado mental (MEEM). Os dados receberam tratamento estatístico para observações de associações de variáveis através de regressão logística utilizando o procedimento PROC SURVEYLOGISTIC do programa SAS versão 9. Os resultados mostraram que 161 (40,2%) eram do sexo masculino e 239 (59,8%) do feminino. A idade média encontrada foi de 72 anos (DP= 8,3). A maioria, 62,7% dos idosos possuía baixa escolaridade com até 4 anos de estudo. Dos idosos 224(56%) morava com companheiros, sendo maior este percentual entre os homens (72,7%). Entre os que moravam com parentes verificou-se uma associação com déficit cognitivo (OR = 2,13 [1,27; 3,58]). Eram sedentários 86,7% dos idosos, sendo que as mulheres (15,5%) praticavam mais exercícios do que os homens (9,9%).Apenas 4,7% dos idosos foram classificados como ativos e 8,5% como irregularmente ativos. O uso de medicamentos foi mais freqüente entre as mulheres (89,2%). Dos idosos 40,5% de ambos os sexos não faziam nenhuma atividade intelectual. As mulheres tiveram maior participação nas atividades em grupo (58,7%). Nas atividades individuais 86,7% dos idosos realizavam de 1 a 2 atividades. A maior freqüência de déficit cognitivo foi encontrada nas mulheres (45,6%) (OR = 1,64 [1,10; 2,45]) e nos idosos com idade de 80 anos e mais 61,9% (OR = 3,26 [1,92; 5,51]). Os resultados indicam a importância da adoção de um estilo de vida saudável, com prática de exercício físico e em outras atividades de integração, que podem melhorar a qualidade de vida promovendo a autonomia dos idosos para a realização das atividades do cotidiano. / The population aging is a present worldwide phenomenon, consequence of a higher growth on the old age population compared to the other age groups. The decrease of mental and physical ability usually linked to aging has social and economical implications and with public health. The current study made with the elderly who live in Batatais-São Paulo, aims at studying some characteristics of the elderly, the practice of physical exercise and cognition. A group of 400 elderly of both genders with the age of 60 or over was researched, by using a structured questionnaire; the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) short version and for the cognitive evaluation the mini exam of the mental state (MEEM) was applied. The data were statistically analyzed for observations of associations of variables through logistic regression using the procedure PROC SURVEYLOGISTIC of the SAS program version 9. The results obtained showed that 161 (40,2 %) were male and 239 (59,8%) were female. The average age was 72 years old (DP= 8,3). Most of them, 62,7% of the elderly had low academic level up to 4 years of study. Most of the elderly lived with partners, 224 (56%), and the highest percentage was among men (72,7). Among the ones who lived with relatives, an association with cognition deficit was checked (OR= 2,13[ 1,27;3,58]). It was also observed that 86,7% of the elderly belong to the sedentary group and that the women (15,5%) practice more exercise than men (9,9%). Only 4,7% of the elderly were classified as active and 8,5% as irregularly active. The women are the ones who most use medicine (89,2%). From the elderly, 40,5% of male and female elderly dont have any kind of intellectual activity. The women have a greater participation in group activities (58,7%). Concerning to individual activities 86,7% of the elderly practice 1 or 2 activities. The most incidence of cognitive deficit is found among the women (45,6%) (OR= 1,64] 1,10;2,45]) and from the 80-year-old elderly on, 61,9%(OR=3,26]1,92;5,51]). The outcomes show that both the habit of a healthy way of living through the practice of physical exercises and in other group activities can enhance the life quality, this way promoting the old people more self confidence to the fulfillment of the everyday activities.

O declínio das capacidades motoras é inevitável ao longo do envelhecimento, porém, a curva desse declínio pode ser reduzida quando o exercício físico é utilizado como forma de intervenção. Em geral, envolvem a repetição de movimentos cíclicos e de baixa complexidade, com o objetivo de aumentar a eficiência fisiológica dos praticantes. Entretanto, há evidências que comprovam a plasticidade cerebral de animais, inclusive em animais idosos, que foram expostos a ambientes e experiências enriquecedoras. Estudos com humanos permitiram observar que os efeitos da aprendizagem de habilidades motoras estão associados a mudanças não apenas comportamentais, mas também nas estruturas cerebrais. Os resultados desses estudos têm sido discutidos em termos do esforço cognitivo relativo ao processo de aprendizagem e, em especial, das habilidades motoras complexas. Neste sentido, este estudo pretendeu verificar os efeitos de dois programas de exercícios físicos nas estruturas cerebrais e capacidades motoras de idosas. Mais especificamente, em uma situação experimental de ensino, foram aplicados dois programas de exercícios físicos, um voltado para a prática de habilidades motoras complexas e o outro voltado especificamente para a prática de movimentos de baixa complexidade (simples). Foram avaliados os efeitos desses programas sobre as estruturas cerebrais, por meio de ressonância magnética cerebral e, também, sobre as capacidades motoras, por meio de testes de capacidade funcional. Participaram do estudo 40 mulheres com idade média de 66,56 anos. Foram formados 3 grupos: Condicionamento Físico, Jogos e Controle. O programa de exercícios teve a duração de 14 semanas, com 3 sessões semanais. As avaliações ocorreram no início e no final dos programas nos 3 grupos. Os resultados revelaram que o grupo controle não apresentou mudanças significantes nas capacidades motoras nem em relação às estruturas cerebrais. O grupo Condicionamento Físico obteve melhora significante no desempenho dos testes de força de membros superiores, flexibilidade de membros inferiores e agilidade/equilíbrio dinâmico. Já o grupo Jogos demonstrou aumento significante no desempenho dos testes de flexibilidade de membros inferiores, agilidade/equilíbrio dinâmico e equilíbrio pé direito olho aberto. Entretanto, nenhum dos grupos, inclusive daqueles que praticaram exercícios físicos, apresentou mudanças significantes no que diz respeito às estruturas cerebrais. Concluiu-se que os programas de exercícios físicos foram parcialmente efetivos para a melhora das capacidades motoras, mas não promoveram alterações na estrutura cerebral / Although the diminishing in the motor abilities is inevitable along the aging process, the tendency of this decrease may be reduced when physical exercise is used as an intervention. These interventions, in general, include the repetition of movements which are cyclical and have low complexity, aiming to increase physiological efficiency of the practitioners. There are evidences of animal\'s brain plasticity, including elderly animals, which have been exposed to enriching environments and experiences. Studies with human beings have lead to the conclusion that the motor learning effects are associated to changes not only behavioral, but also in brain structure. The results of these studies have been discussed in terms of the cognitive effort related to the learning process and, specially, to the complex motor skills. Therefore this study aimed to verify the effects of two programs of physical exercises on the brain structure and motor capacities of elderly women. Specifically, in an experimental teaching condition, there have been developed two physical exercises programs: one oriented to the practice of complex motor skills; and the other directed to the practice of low complexity movements (simple). The effects of these programs in the brain structure have been evaluated through cerebral magnetic resonance and, also, in the motor capacities through functional capacities tests. Forty women with mean age of 66.56 years old have taken part of the study. There were three groups: Fitness, Games and Control. The exercises programs were developed during 14 weeks, with 3 sessions per week. The evaluations were in the beginning and in the end of the program. Results showed that the Control group has neither presented changes in their motor capacities nor related to their brain structures. The Fitness group significantly improved its performance in the tests for upper body strength, flexibility of the limbs and agility/ dynamic balance. The Games group demonstrated significant increase in the test for flexibility of the limbs, agility/dynamic balance and balance right foot open eye. Even though, none of the groups, including those which have practiced physical exercises, presented changes in their brain structures. In conclusion, the physical exercise programs have been partially effective for the improvement of the motor capacities, but have not brought changes in the brain structure