Effect of 16-week Kouk-Sun-Do exercise on physical fitness, emotional state, and immunoglobulin A in community-dwelling elders in Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 16-week Kouk-Sun-Do (KSD) exercise on physical fitness, emotional state, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in community-dwelling elders in Korea. A total of 19 elders in the intervention group and 20 elders in the control group participated. The KSD exercise with low-intensity exercise was performed over a 45-minute session, three times a week for a 16-week period. The results show the effectiveness of KSD exercise on the physical fitness, emotional state, and IgA, and KSD can be identified as a feasible type of low-intensity exercise for elders. The findings suggest the need to determine clinical significance of KSD for patients in specific clinical settings; nurses with training in KSD can play a key role in implementing movement-based nursing interventions for specific health outcomes.