Effects of a Postural Hygiene-Based Physical Exercise Program in Older Adult Women

The primary component is a non-randomized interventional study with parallel assignment designed to evaluate the effects of a multicomponent physical exercise program integrating postural hygiene strategies. The study is being registered after participant enrollment had started due to an administrative oversight. Data collection is ongoing and has not yet been completed. The intervention protocol, assessment schedule, and outcome measures were defined before completion of data collection and have not been modified based on study findings.

The interventional component includes 80 adult and older women allocated to three groups. The experimental group performs a multicomponent physical exercise program with integrated postural hygiene. The reference group consists of participants who had previously received postural hygiene training and performs the same intervention as the experimental group. The control group performs the same multicomponent physical exercise program without the specific postural hygiene component.

The intervention includes exercises targeting strength, balance, mobility, and postural control. Postural hygiene strategies are integrated throughout exercise practice and are intended to facilitate the transfer of healthy postural behaviors to activities of daily living. These strategies aim to improve postural awareness, movement control, and safer postural habits during functional tasks.

Participants are assessed at four time points: baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up. Outcomes include functional capacity, postural risk, musculoskeletal symptoms, health-related quality of life, and body composition. Semi-structured interviews are also conducted to explore perceived changes, program acceptability, postural awareness, and the application of postural hygiene strategies in daily life.

The study is non-pharmacological, non-surgical, and non-invasive. It does not involve drug administration, surgical procedures, invasive techniques, or investigational medical devices. The intervention is delivered by trained instructors following a standardized protocol to ensure consistency across groups.