Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · May 2003
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialImproved fitness narrows the symptom-reporting gap between older men and women.
Functional differences between the sexes are well documented. The causes of functional decline are complex, but in general, women report more functional decline and have a greater prevalence of disabling chronic conditions than do men. The role of exercise training in attenuating functional decline has not been studied extensively. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare sex differences in adaptations to exercise training in measures of physical function (physical performance and self-report) and symptom reporting. ⋯ We conclude that among functionally impaired women, exercise training has a positive effect on physical disability and symptom reporting. Exercise training attenuated the gap in self-reported symptoms between men and women in this study.