Adherence indicators, motivational factors, and benefits perceived by elderly people in the gym for the elderly

Introduction: Aging is defined as a progressive process with biological, psychological and social changes. Objective: To identify the indicators of adherence, motivations and benefits perceived by elderly people in the gym for the elderly. Methods: 30 elderly (21 women) participated (67 ± 4 years; 76 ± 3 kg; 164 ± 7 cm; 28 ± 2 kg/m2). An individual interview was conducted, guided by questions related to the object of study. The data obtained were treated using the content analysis technique of the Bardin method. Results: For the adherence indicators, a better health condition (90%), quality of life (76%), quality of sleep (73%) and reduction of stress and weight (63%) were identified. For motivation the answers were to make new friends and get out of solitude (100%) as well as living with people of the same age group (95%). And the perceived benefits were pain reduction (27%), increased muscle capacity (25%), autonomy (21%), functional capacity (20%), balance (18%), flexibility (14%) and what all the individuals realized there was a significant improvement in quality of life (100%). Conclusion: The main indicators of adherence were health and quality of life, the motivational factors were to reduce loneliness and to increase social life, and among the most reported benefits were quality of life and health.Keywords: elderly gym, physical exercise, health.