Correlation between functional condition, diet, depression indices and independence of older adults participating in physical activity programs of the national sports institute of the Maule Region, Chile

Moacyr Portes Júnior, Leslie Andrews Portes, Felipe Andrés Hermosilla-Palma — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This study analyzes the relationships between functional status, diet, depression, and independence in older adults participating in physical activity workshops at the National Sports Institute (IND) in the Maule Region of Chile. For five months, bi-weekly 60-minute sessions were held, focusing on functional fitness (flexibility, balance, strength, agility, gait speed, and endurance), complemented by social and recreational activities. Pre- and post-intervention assessments used tools such as BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, the Functional Fitness Battery, a food frequency questionnaire, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Katz Index. The main findings show significant correlations: gait speed is moderately inversely related to age, strongly inversely related to agility, moderately positively related to lower limb strength, and weakly positively related to left leg balance. Endurance shows a moderate inverse correlation with depression. Lower limb strength is moderately positively associated with gait speed and walking distance, and inversely associated with agility and waist circumference. The discussion aligns these results with the literature, highlighting gait speed as a "vital sign" for autonomy, fall prevention, and mental health. Programs that enhance strength, agility, and balance are essential to promote independence, reduce depression, and manage adiposity in an aging population.

Strengthening the statistical assessment of university social responsibility and sustainable development goal integration in higher education institutions

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This study aims to examine how higher education institutions in Barranquilla, Colombia, integrate University Social Responsibility with the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing not only the visibility of institutional initiatives but also the need for stronger empirical assessment of their coherence, implementation, and perceived impact. The study adopts a quantitative, non-experimental, field-based, and descriptive design, using survey data collected from members of the university community across selected higher education institutions. Responses were organized through Likert-type items and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentage distributions, favorable and unfavorable response groupings, and estimated mean scores, with the results structured around sustainability initiatives, inclusion policies, academic integration, strategic planning, institutional management, communication, and accountability mechanisms. The findings show that respondents generally perceive meaningful progress in sustainability-oriented activities, volunteering, inclusion, environmental practices, and institutional values linked to social responsibility. However, the evidence also reveals persistent weaknesses in impact measurement, strategic formalization, periodic reporting, internal communication, and the visibility of specialized structures responsible for coordinating University Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Goal integration. These results suggest that universities have advanced more clearly in normative commitment and institutional discourse than in consolidated systems of governance, monitoring, and evaluation. The study provides practical implications for university leaders by highlighting the need to strengthen accountability frameworks, improve communication strategies, institutionalize impact assessment, and develop more rigorous statistical procedures for evaluating the relationship between social responsibility practices and sustainable development commitments.

Global Journal of Social Sciences Studies

Correlation between functional condition, diet, depression indices and independence of older adults participating in physical activity programs of the national sports institute of the Maule Region, Chile

Strengthening the statistical assessment of university social responsibility and sustainable development goal integration in higher education institutions