Physical activity in old age: benefits for health and disease prevention a literature review

Population aging in Brazil represents a significant challenge for public health, with an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and impairment of the functional capacity and quality of life of the elderly. Physical activity emerges as a fundamental strategy to face this demographic transition. Analyze the influence of physical activity on health promotion and disease prevention in the elderly population. The objective of this review research is to analyze the influence of physical activity in health promotion and disease prevention in the elderly population. This is an Integrative Literature Review, following the PRISMA method, carried out in the Google Scholar, SciELO and Scopus databases, with articles published between 2020 and 2025. Ten articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The synthesis of the studies showed that physical activity provides integrated benefits, acting on physical health (combating sarcopenia and osteoporosis, increasing muscle strength), mental health (reducing depressive symptoms and improving cognition) and preventing chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension), in addition to reducing the risk of mortality. The impacts converge towards improving functional autonomy, quality of life and psychosocial well-being. Conclui-se que a atividade física é uma intervenção não-farmacológica de baixo custo e alta eficácia, sendo de suma importância e indispensável para um envelhecimento ativo e saudável. Its integration into public policies and clinical practice is recommended.