Abstract:
The purposes of this research were: (1) to study the flexibility and the quality elderly physical domain; (2) to compare the flexibility within the group using the muscle stretching program in the time period set; (3) to compare the flexibility between the experimental group and the control group; (4) to compare the quality of life in the physical domain within the group using the muscle stretching program in the time period set; and (5) to compare the quality of life in the physical domain between the experimental group and the control group. The sample group consisted of 60 people aged between 60 and 74 living in Chanthaburi selected by purposive sampling. The research instruments were a flexibility test and a test used to measure the quality of life in the physical domain with a discrimination of .39 - .80 and a reliability of .82. The statistics used for data analysis were mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, and one-way repeated measures ANOVA. The results revealed that: (1) the experimental group got the mean score of flexibility at the low level. After 4 weeks of experiment was at the moderate level. And after 8 weeks was at the high level. For the control group, before the experiment, got the mean score of flexibility at the low level. After 4 weeks of experiment was at the low level. And after 8 weeks was at the moderate level. For the quality of life in the physical domain, the control group and the experimental group got the mean score before the experiment, after 4 weeks of experiment and after 8 weeks of experiment at the moderate level; (2) after 8 weeks of using the program, the elderly got the mean score of flexibility more than after 4 weeks of using the program and before the experiment. And after 4 weeks of using the program, they got the mean score of flexibility more than before the experiment at the statistically significant level of .05; (3) after 4 weeks of experiment and after 8 weeks of experiment, the experimental group got the mean score of flexibility more than the control group at the statistically significant level of .05; (4) after 8 weeks of using the program, the elderly got the mean score of the quality of life in the physical domain more than after 4 weeks of using the program and before the experiment. And after 4 weeks of using the program, they got the mean score of the quality of life in the physical domain more than before the experiment at the statistically significant level of .05; and (5) after 4 weeks of experiment and after 8 weeks of experiment, the experimental group got the mean score of the quality of life in the physical domain more than the control group at the statistically significant level of .05.