Comparação da qualidade de vida e do bem-estar entre praticantes do método Pilates tradicional e indivíduos não praticantes

Abstract

Scientific evidences have sought to reinforce corporal practices that favor the quality of life and the well-being of the population. It is believed that the traditional Pilates method brings physical and mental conditioning maximizing quality of life and wellbeing. The purpose of this study is to compare the quality of life (QoL) and well-being (BE) of traditional Pilates practitioners (GROUP 1) and non-practitioners (GROUP 2). It is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 60 individuals, 30 practitioners of the traditional Pilates method and 30 individuals who are not practicing the method. All the participants lived in Curitiba, Paraná and all answered the four questionnaires involved in the research: (1) questionnaire The World Health Organization instrument to evaluate quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref), (2) Nahas, (3) International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and (4) sócio-demographic questionnaire to describe the sample. The analysis of the results was made through the descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential, using the t test for independent samples. The analyzes were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21 and the significance level adopted was less than 5%. The results showed that, in the General QoL, and in the four domains of QoL (physical, psychological, social relations and environment), the group of Pilates practitioners scored higher than the non-practitioners group, with a statistically significant difference (p <0.05). The BE was evaluated by its five components and the results show that in four of them the difference was statistically significant (p <0.05): nutrition, physical activity, preventive behavior and social relationships. However, in the stress control component, the difference was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). The mean score of the total sample in the latter component was 1.9 ± 0.6, it is known that the mean can vary from 0 to 3, and this value represented by the sample represents an unfavorable lifestyle for the individuals in that component. The results contribute to reinforce the existing evidence from the literature, because according to the present study the Pilates method influenced the improvement of QoL and BE. Group 1 (G1) obtained better means in the majority of BE components than group 2 (G2), só G1 has a lifestyle that contributes to health maintenance and contributes to better BE. For according to the idea of the creator of the method, Joseph Hubertus Pilates, a body that practices the method, is a body free from nervous tension and fatigue, the mind is balanced and able to successfully reduce the problems of modern life by collaborating for a better level of QoL and BE.