| Sumario: | Purpose Among the major changes that come with advancing age is a decrease in muscle mass and gross motor skills1 that affects the ability of an elderly person to perform activities associated with daily living2, resulting in a decrease in functional independence3 that reflects the negative trends in the functional capacity4. The paper verifies the effects of traditional exercises and activities with interactive digital games on the functional capacity older adults. Method The study used a randomized clinical test. The sample consisted of 35 older adults of both genders, divided into three groups: G1 (n=12, 71.2±7.5 years) used traditional physical activities; G2 (n=10, 70.7±4 8 years) used interactive activities using an Xbox, Kinect, and placebos; the G3 (n=13, 69±5.8 years) used interactive activities with the games listed above and made use of Spirulina platensis as a dietary supplement5. Figure 1 shows an activity that tests the coordination of the lower limbs using logical-mathematical reasoning. The task given to the older adults is to hit the ball that displays the correct answer. Results & Discussion The results indicated significant differences (p≤0.05) exist for parameters that measure functional capacity6, including flexibility, aerobic endurance, speed, agility and balance. Figure 2 presents the results the Student's t-test for paired samples. The results suggest that performing traditional activities or using interactive games can promote improvements in the parameters related to functional capacity.
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