IJCS | Volume 32, Nº6, November / December 2019

DOI: 10.5935/2359-4802.20190026 Introduction The United Nations estimate that there will be 1.5 billion senior citizens in theworld by 2050. 1 Aging process is a continuous and multidimensional phenomenon that generally leads to a decrease in independence and performance of daily life activities. 2-4 Quality of life (QOL) is one of the variables affected by aging, that may be differently described even by individuals living in similar conditions, including in terms of psychological aspects, as depressive symptoms. 3,5,6 Despite the possible influence of several factors on the level of QOL, a worse QOL is observed in patients with high prevalence of depressive symptoms and increased physical pain. This phenomenon deserves attention, as these symptoms are associated with frailty, leading to a poor prognosis. 7 Physical exercise is a powerful tool to prevent or at least delay the development of deleterious effects of aging. 8-10 Physical training can impact on both morphological and physical domains, causing an increase in muscle mass and strength, and improvement of cognitive and 553 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2019;32(6):553-562 Mailing Address: Silvio Lopes Alabarse Disciplina de Cardiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - Rua Napoleão de Barros 715, térreo, Vila Clementino. Postal Code: 04024-002, São Paulo, SP - Brazil. E-mail: alabarse.silvio@gmail.com Moderate-Intensity Walking Training Improves Depressive Symptoms and Pain in Older Adults with Good Quality of Life: A Controlled Randomized Trial Silvio Lopes Alabarse, 1 H élio José Coelho Júnior, 2 R icardoYukio Asano, 3 B raulio Luna Filho, 1 W agner Correa Santos, 1 J apy Angelini Oliveira Filho 1 Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), 1 São Paulo, SP - Brazil Universidade de Campinas (Unicamp), 2 Campinas, SP - Brazil Universidade de São Paulo (USP), 3 São Paulo, SP - Brazil Manuscript received May 27, 2018; revised manuscript August 05, 2018; accepted November 01, 2018. Abstract Background: Walking training can be an adequate choice to improve physical and psychological conditions in the elderly. Studies have reported positive changes in the quality of life, depressive symptoms and pain. However, baseline characteristics of volunteers have been controlled, and some of previous studies have not investigated these parameters concomitantly. Objectives: To assess the effects of moderate-intensity walking on quality of life, depressive symptoms and physical pain in physically active elderly individuals. Methods: Sixty-nine subjects were recruited and allocated into two groups: training group (n = 40) and control group (n = 29). All were evaluated for quality of life, depressive symptoms and pain. Training group underwent 40 minutes of walking (50-70% of maximum heart rate), 3 days a week for 12 weeks. For statistical analysis, we used the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Student’s t-test and Split-Plot ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc, Pearson correlation. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: After 12 weeks of training, depressive symptoms and physical pain significantly reduced in the training group (2.7 ± 2.4 to 1.9 ± 1.8 and 4.3 ± 3.1 to 2.8 ± 2.9, respectively) compared with baseline values, and remained unchanged in the control group. There was a positive, moderate correlation between depressive symptoms and pain (r = 0.30). Conclusion: physically active elderly individuals with good quality of life show improved depressive symptoms after a short-term moderate-intensity walking training program. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(6):553-562) Keywords: Walking; Walking Speed; Quality of Life; Aged; Pain; Depression.