Contributions of Physical Education to the Functionality of Elderly Students (EJA)

Abstract

Youth and Adult Education (EJA) aims to meet the needs of individuals who, for different reasons, did not have access to formal education at a conventional age. In this teaching modality, the integration of Physical Education has assumed increasing relevance, especially with regard to the elderly population, and can bring effective contributions to their functionality. In this sense, this work was prepared with the aim of reflecting on the importance of practicing physical activity for the functionality of the elderly person in EJA and is justified by the need to research and reflect on the importance of physical education in EJA as a contributor to the improvement of functionality of the elderly. Its construction took place through qualitative research, using literature review as the main approach, as it is the most appropriate to explore the contributions of physical activity to the functionality of elderly people in EJA. Such research was based on data, such as LILACS, Scielo and Google Scholar, in works indexed in the period between 2001 and 2023. The results indicate that the physical activity offered by physical education at EJA, for the elderly, can result in positive impacts on the functionality of this public and, consequently, their quality of life. Within EJA, physical education can be very effective in promoting health, as it plays an important role as an essential component for the physical and mental well-being of human beings, being a powerful tool that can collaborate in promoting active aging and healthy. The research concludes that physical education at EJA provides benefits such as: improving mobility, increasing physical disposition, preventing chronic diseases and greater socialization, providing opportunities for interaction with colleagues and creating an environment of mutual support.