The intrinsic capacity of the older adults is intertwined with the ability to perform activities of daily living independently and autonomously. The World Health Organization suggests that handgrip strength is an important measure of intrinsic ability. The measure of muscle strength decreases with advancing age and this measure is considered a low-cost and reliable predictor of declines in intrinsic capacity, morbidity, and mortality.

To evaluate the effects of an intervention protocol based on multimodal physical exercises, at moderate intensity, simultaneously with cognitive stimulation (dual-task), on upper limbs muscle strength in community-dwelling healthy older adults.

37 older adults, with no cognitive dysfunction, participated in the study. Participants were grouped into a Dual Task Exercise group (DTEx, n=23) and performed 24 sessions, twice a week, for 75 minutes, and a control group (CG, n=14) who received information on health education and did not perform physical exercises. To evaluate the muscle strength of the upper limbs, the handgrip test was used using a hydraulic dynamometer (Jamar®). Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used for analysis hand grip strength and Bonferroni tests were used as post-hoc for within-group and between-group comparisons. The project was registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (UTN code: U1111-1233-6349).

There was an interaction Group x Time for the handgrip strength, both for muscle strength on the right side (F (1.35) = 8.013 p ≤ 0.008, η2p = 0.186) and left side (F (1, 35) = 9.055, p ≤ 0.005, η2p = 0.206). After the intervention, the DTEx group showed greater handgrip strength on the right side (Assessment: 20.4 ± 1.4 kgf; Reassessment: 24.5 ± 1.2 kgf, p ≤ 0.001) and on the left side (Assessment: 18.3 ± 1.3 kgf; Reassessment: 22.2 ± 1.2 kgf; p ≤ 0.003). Participants of the control group demonstrated stability in muscle strength measures for the right side (Assessment: 24.2 ± 1.8 kgf; Reassessment: 23.0 ± 1.6, p = 0.437) and for the left side (Assessment: 24 .2 ± 1.7 kgf; Reassessment: 22.1 ± 1.6, p = 0.196). The DTEx group showed clinically relevant increases of approximately 20.9% and 21.3% in right and left upper limb muscle strength, respectively.

The results suggest that multimodal physical exercise in dual task and moderate intensity resulted in significant improvements in upper limb muscle strength on older adults.

Considering that muscle strength is an indicator of vitality, a key element for the participation of the older adults to healthy aging, effective and low-cost therapeutic strategies, such as the one investigated here, are important tools to be included in primary health care to promote Healthy Aging.