IMPROVISING CARDIOVASCULAR AND NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES – A STUDY PROTOCOL FOR SPORTS DRIVEN INTERVENTIONAL APPROACH

Background: The World Health Organization has declared physical inactivity as the fourth leading cause of death and a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Studies suggest that the higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases adds to extreme health and financial burden to the United Arab Emirates and the promotion of physical activities could help combat this situation. Sports play a significant role in the promotion of physical activity. Among all sports, badminton targets the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems significantly Methodology: An Experimental, double-blinded, non-randomized controlled trial would be conducted at the Body and Soul Sports Complex, Gulf Medical University, UAE. A total of 120 older adults (40 to 70 years) would be divided into three groups of 40 each, viz., with non-communicable disease (WCN), without non-communicable disease (WICN), and a healthy control group (HCG). Physical activity intervention consists of two months (8 weeks), 3 days a week of Badminton sessions to WCN and WICN groups for major cardiovascular and neuromuscular parameters. Discussion: The study is aimed to design a sports-driven interventional approach to determine the effects on cardiovascular and neuromuscular functions of older adults in UAE. The immediate impact can be seen in drawing the attention of the authorities and changes in the status of non-communicable diseases among the UAE population with the introduction of such programs on a larger scale. The impact could also be seen with the development of necessary infrastructure and instrumentation in other parts of the world encouraging older adults to actively participate in physical activity. Trial Registration: The study has been registered under the Clinical Trial Registry (REF/2022/02/051455), February 8th, 2022, http://ctri.nic.in