Abstract

Background: Depression among elderly individuals is a prevalent concern, often leading to diminished quality of life. Progressive Resistance Exercise (PRE) has been identified as a potential intervention to all eviatede pressive symptomsinthis demographic. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of home-based Progressive Resistance Exercise in reducing depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elderly adults. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 30 communitydwelling elderly individuals (15 males and 15 females) aged 65-85 years, all exhibiting mild-to-moderate depression as indicated by a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score between 11 and 19. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: • Experimental Group (n=15): Engaged in home-based Progressive Resistance Exercise. • Control Group (n=15): Participated in free active range of motion exercises. • Results: Both groups exhibited significant reductions inGDSscorespostintervention, indicating decreased depressive symptoms. The Experimental Group demonstrated a mean GDS reduction of 1.8 points, while the Control Group showed a mean reduction of 0.92 points. The difference between groups wasstatisticallysigni𿿿cant(p<0.000),suggestingthatPREwasmoreeffective in reducing depressive symptoms compared to ROM exercises. • Conclusion: The study concluded that both Progressive Resistance Exercise and free active range of motion exercises are effective in reducing depressive symptoms among older adults. The findings were highly significant in both groups, with the Experimental Group showing a more pronouced improvement. This suggests that Progressive Resistance Exercise may offer a more effective intervention for alleviating depression in elderly individuals.

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