Journal ArticleDOI
Postural Balance and Self-Reported Functional Ability in 75-Year-Old Men and Women: A Cross-National Comparative Study
P. Era,P. Era,Kirsten Avlund,Jukka Jokela,I. Gause-Nilsson,Eino Heikkinen,Bertil Steen,Marianne Schroll +7 more
TLDR
To study postural balance in relation to selfreported functional ability (mobility and ADL) and general physical activity in elderly men and women living in three different Nordic environments.Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To study postural balance in relation to self-reported functional ability (mobility and ADL) and general physical activity in elderly men and women living in three different Nordic environments. PARTICIPANTS A random sample of 448 men and 556 women from among the 75-year-old residents in Glostrup, Denmark, and Goteborg, Sweden, and all the residents of relevant age (127 men and 261 women) in Jyvaskyla, Finland. MEASUREMENTS Assessment of postural balance with eyes open and closed using a piezoelectric force platform. A structured interview on self-reported functional ability and physical activity. An in-laboratory medical examination. RESULTS In spite of some differences in balance between the groups studied (better results in women compared with men and, to some extent, better results in the participants from Denmark and Finland than in those from Sweden), the performance in the balance tests was similarly associated with functional ability within all groups. The subjects reporting no need of help in performing the ADL and mobility functions performed significantly better in the balance tests. These differences were seen more clearly in the control of anteroposterior movement of center of forces than in the mediolateral direction. The performance in the balance tests was also significantly better among the subjects reporting a higher level of general physical activity than in their less active counterparts. Physical activity and than in their less active counterparts. Physical activity and certain long standing illnesses modified significantly the relationship between postural balance and ADL-performance. When these factors were analyzed simultaneously, the role of balance as a predictor of ADL-performance largely disappeared. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that good balance is one of the prerequisites of performance without difficulty in mobility and ADL functions. Physical exercise may help to maintain balancing abilities in old age; good balance, in turn, may also enable a physically active way of life. The associations of balance with functional ability and physical activity were independent of sex and locality. The results also support the validity of static stabilometry as a tool for evaluating threats to functional limitations in older subjects.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Force platform measurements as predictors of falls among older people - a review.
Maarit Piirtola,Pertti Era +1 more
TL;DR: Certain aspects of force platform data may have predictive value for subsequent falls, especially various indicators of the lateral control of posture, however, the small number of studies available makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Handgrip strength as a predictor of functional, psychological and social health. A prospective population-based study among the oldest old
Diana G. Taekema,Jacobijn Gussekloo,Andrea B. Maier,Rudi G. J. Westendorp,Anton J. M. de Craen +4 more
TL;DR: Poor handgrip strength predicts accelerated dependency in ADL and cognitive decline in oldest old, and could be a useful instrument in geriatric practice to identify those oldest old patients at risk for this accelerated decline.
Journal ArticleDOI
Postural balance in a random sample of 7,979 subjects aged 30 years and over
TL;DR: Deterioration in balance function clearly starts at relatively young ages and further accelerates from at about 60 years upwards, which provides normative values for force platform balance tests at an age of 30 years and above.
Journal ArticleDOI
Physical and Performance Measures for the Identification of Mild to Moderate Frailty
TL;DR: Results provide further insight into the relative importance of factors that contribute to frailty and factors that should be considered in treatment planning for the remediation of physical frailty in old adults.
Journal ArticleDOI
Grip Strength, Postural Control, and Functional Leg Power in a Representative Cohort of British Men and Women: Associations With Physical Activity, Health Status, and Socioeconomic Conditions
TL;DR: In general, physical performance was worse for men and women living in poorer socioeconomic conditions with greater body weight, poorer health status, and inactive lifestyles, and recommendations for controlling excessBody weight, effective health interventions, and the maintenance of active lifestyles during aging are supported.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Assessment of fat-free mass using bioelectrical impedance measurements of the human body
TL;DR: Data indicate that the bioelectrical impedance technique is a reliable and valid approach for the estimation of human body composition and further validation of this method is recommended in subjects with abnormal body composition.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Relationship of Knee and Ankle Weakness to Falls in Nursing Home Residents: An Isokinetic Study
TL;DR: At the higher, more functional limb velocities, ankle weakness particularly involving the dorsiflexors appears to be an important factor underlying poor balance.
Journal ArticleDOI
Functional reach: a marker of physical frailty.
TL;DR: To establish the concurrent validity of the new balance instrument, functional reach (FR = maximal safe standing forward reach) is used as a marker of physical frailty compared with other clinical measures of physical performance.
Journal ArticleDOI
Physical activity and muscle training in the elderly.
TL;DR: In very well-trained 70-year-old men high levels of oxidative enzymes are found together with high maximal aerobic power capacity, which can be increased by physical training also in the elderly.