Effects of physical exercise on quality of life and memory of drug users

Abstract

Objective: to analyze changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, perception of quality of life and memory of users of alcohol and other drugs, being treated, in a Therapeutic Community, after the application of a Physical Exercise Program (PEF). Method: 33 adult men with a mean age of 37 years (± 6.32) participated, divided into two groups: Intervention group (n = 19) who participated in the PEF and control group (n = 14) who did not participate. The evaluations were made at the beginning and at the end of the eight weeks of the PEF. Results: the increase in VO2max in the group that participated in physical PEF was approximately 13 times greater than in the control group. In memory, PEF participants obtained a gain of more than approximately 16% when compared to the control group. In the perception of quality of life, the differences were on average 16% greater in the group that participated in the PEF, reaching 21% in the domain regarding the perception of the environment they were in. Conclusion: a PEF collaborates positively in improving the rehabilitation of cognitive processes of learning and memory, and in the perception of the quality of life of individuals undergoing treatment.