Effect of Short-Term Multicomponent Exercise Intervention on Motor Fitness and Gait Performance in Middle-Aged Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Middle age involves shifts in neuromuscular and functional aspects that impact women’s motor fitness and gait. Among women in this age range, balance, coordination, reaction time, and gait pattern declines can increase the risk of functional limitations later in life. Although multicomponent exercise programmes have proven benefits for older women, there is a lack of evidence for middle-aged women, particularly for short-duration interventions. Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the impact of a six-week multicomponent exercise programme on some motor fitness components and gait patterns of middle-aged women. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 40 apparently healthy women aged 40-55 years old into two groups. Based on a non-repeated random number, all the volunteers were divided into two groups; control group (N=20) and experimental group (N=20). The experimental group completed a supervised six-week multicomponent exercise program, while the control group maintained their usual daily activities. The motor fitness variables and their assessing tools included reaction time (ruler drop test), hand-eye coordination (alternate-hand wall-toss test), and balance (unipedal balance test). The 10 m walk test was used to assess gait performance. The intervention program was conducted four days a week for about 50 minutes, with difficulty increased each week. Results: The experimental group offered improvements in all of the assessed components of motor fitness and in gait performance. However, between group differences did not reach significance, although in the experimental group there were positive changes in reaction time, coordination, balance, and speed of gait. Conclusion: Positive trends were observed in motor fitness and gait parameters in middle-aged women after participating in a six-week, multicomponent exercise program. Findings demonstrate that short-term, structured multicomponent exercise programs may be effective in preventing decline in functional mobility and midlife neuromuscular efficiency; however, longer term exercise interventions are required to achieve significant improvements.