Background:

aging is a process characterized by the progressive loss of physical, cognitive, biological and psychosocial capacities. Specific physical exercise programs for older people stimulate balance, strength, and gait and protect against falls and their effects. Physical activity favors the maintenance of functional independence in older adults.

Objective:

to determine the effect of a physical exercise program to increase lower extremity strength in older adults.

Methods:

a study was carried out that corresponded to a pre-experimental design, with pre and post-test and a control group. The sample n=30, age=72.3 and standard deviation S=7.0. The tests were applied: Get up and walk, Steps on and over a 15.2 cm step. Statistically, a descriptive analysis of data and comparison was carried out, according to the distribution of frequencies and percentages of strength indicators; correlation and independence between variables were determined: strength, sex, age and illnesses, using Pearson's Chi-square correlation statistics, Pearson's R and Spearman's Correlation. Chi-square of Pearson, Gamma and Tau-b of Kendall were applied, with normality in the data distribution and confidence p=0.05, through the statistical program IBM SPSS for Windows version 21.0.

Results:

significant changes were shown in the strength of the lower limbs of older adults and no dependence between the related sociodemographic variables, p>0.05, except in the relationship between conditions and the Get up and walk test p<0.05, which showed dependence between lower extremity strength and cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions:

the program increases the strength in the lower limbs of older adults, with a dependency relationship between the strength of the lower limbs and cardiovascular diseases.

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