Effect of Exergame boxing addition on appendicular muscle mass index in elderly women

Introduction: Elderly women tend to have higher adiposity than men of the same age, along with lower muscle mass and density. These factors increase the risk of impaired physical function and disability. Objective: This study examines the effects of an 8-week exergame boxing program on appendicular muscle mass in elderly women. Methodology: In this study, 30 elderly women are randomly assigned to two groups: control and intervention. The intervention group participates in exergame boxing sessions (30 minutes per session, 3 times a week) for eight weeks. Both groups perform low-intensity aerobic exercise for 15 minutes, five times a week. Before and after the intervention, all participants undergo Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to evaluate their Appendicular Muscle Mass Index. Results: In the control group, no significant gains in appendicular muscle mass index are observed after eight weeks of low-intensity aerobic exercise (p = 0.070). Conversely, the intervention group shows a significant increase in appendicular muscle mass index, with an effect size of 0.73 and statistical significance (p < 0.001). The change in appendicular muscle mass index is significantly greater in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.047). Discussion: This study highlights that an 8-week virtual reality-based exergame boxing program combined with low-intensity aerobic exercise significantly improves appendicular muscle mass in elderly women. Conclusions: The addition of exergame boxing for eight weeks can increase the appendicular muscle mass index of elderly women as measured by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.