Health impact of an intervention sport-competitionbased in elderly: the ‘‘In-Common sport’’ project

Background: The health benefits of a regular physical activity (PA) in older people are well known but the majority of older people in Europe do not meet the recommended levels to maintain health. How to promote a regular PA in elderly is a responsibility and a challenge for Local Authorities. ‘‘IN COMMON SPORTS-Intergenerational Competition As Motivation For Sport And Healthy Lifestyle Of Senior Citizens’’ is a three year Erasmus+ Sport project which promotes active lifestyle in senior citizens bringing them closer to sport activities. The project involved five countries: Portugal, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary. The aim of the study is to present one-year follow-up data of the Italian sample. Methods: Quasi-experimental study with 121 participants over 60-aged recruited in Cesena (Italy) through newspaper advertising. The experimental group (EG) attended twice a week structured training sessions for two years. Sessions included aerobic activity of moderate intensity and muscle-strengthening activities interspersed with aerobic activity of vigorous intensity. The training was the basis for the preparation in a competition that took place in each country. The control group (CG) received the advice to practice regular PA. Upper limb muscle strength (Handgrip Test) was measured as primary outcome. Results: One year follow-up analysis were conducted on 76 participants, 52 in EG and 24 in CG (mean age: 716.7) using ANOVA and ANCOVA to test the effects of the intervention. The EG significantly improved upper limb muscle strength (1.92.8) vs CG significantly worsened (-1.93.5). After adjusted for unbalanced variables, the comparison between groups showed a significant effect of intervention on handgrip test (p value=0,012). Conclusions: ’’IN COMMON SPORTS’’ project has significantly improved handgrip strength in Italian participants. This test has shown to be a proxy of decline in cognition, mobility, functional status and mortality in older community-dwelling populations. Key messages: IN COMMON SPORTS promotes active lifestyle in senior citizens bringing them closer to sport activities. The project has proven to be effective in improving handgrip strength.