0000000000116560
AUTHOR
Terttu Parkatti
showing 10 related works from this author
Improvements in functional capacity from Nordic walking: a randomized-controlled trial among elderly people.
2011
This study examined the effects of an instructed structured Nordic walking (NW) exercise program on the functional capacity of older sedentary people. Volunteers were randomly assigned to an NW group (68.2 ± 3.8 yr old) or control group (69.9 ± 3.0 yr old). Before and at the end of the 9-wk intervention, functional tests and 2-dimensional ground-reaction-force (GRF) patterns of normal (1.40 m/s) and fast (1.94 m/s) walking speeds were measured. The intervention included a 60-min supervised NW session on an inside track twice a week for 9 wk. The mean changes in functional tests differed between groups significantly. Gait analyses showed no significant differences between the groups on any G…
The current state and developments in higher education in gerontology in the Nordic countries
2012
The growing size of the older population challenges not only researchers but also higher education in gerontology. On the basis of an online survey the authors describe the situation of Nordic higher education in gerontology in 2008 and 2009 and also give some good examples of Nordic- and European-level collaboration. The survey results showed that gerontological education was given in every Nordic country, in 31 universities and 60 other higher education institutions. Although separate aging-related courses and modules were relatively numerous, programs for majors were relatively few. Networking in the Nordic region offers a good example on how to further develop higher education in geront…
Occupational Well‐being among Aging Teachers in Finland
1994
Abstract This article presents an examination of occupational well‐being among teachers in Finland who are over 45‐years of age (n = 1012). Occupational well‐being was described by affective (job anxiety and depression, burnout), behavioral (job competence and aspiration) and health (psychosomatic Symptoms and work ability) components. The structure of well‐being turned out to be two‐dimensional, consisting of affect‐health and behavior dimensions. The level of well‐being among aging teachers was quite high, although 36% of the teachers had Problems of well‐being related to both ajfect‐health and behavior. However, according to the work ability index, only 4% of the 45‐49‐year‐old and 12% o…
Independent and Combined Association of Physical Activity and Cardiac Disease on Mortality Risk in the Very Old
2010
Objectives: This study investigated physical activity as a predictor of all-cause mortality among 75- and 80-year-old people with and without chronic cardiac disease over a 10-year follow-up period. Method: Using the Evergreen Project data, four study groups were formed according to the respondent’s self-reported level of physical activity as well as chronic cardiac diseases: active without cardiac disease (control group = ANCD), active with cardiac disease (ACD), sedentary without cardiac disease (SNCD), and sedentary with cardiac disease (SCD). Results: In the analyses, the ACD (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.02-2.81) and the SNCD (1.76, 1.14-2.73) groups had almost one and a half times greater risk …
Physical activity, fitness, and all-cause mortality: An 18-year follow-up among old people
2016
Background: Little is known about change in physical activity (PA) and its relationship to all-cause mortality among old people. There is even less information about the association between PA, fitness, and all-cause mortality among people aged 80 years and above. The objective is to investigate persistence and change in PA over 5 years as a predictor of all-cause mortality, and fitness as a mediator of this association, among people aged 80 and 85 years at the beginning of an 18-year mortality follow-up period. Methods: Using Evergreen Project data (started in 1989), 4 study groups were formed according to self-reported changes in PA level, over a 5-year period (starting in 1989–1990 and e…
Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health among 55- to 89-Year-Old Dutch People
1999
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity and the possible mediating role of perceived physical self-efficacy (PPSE) on self-rated health (SRH) in the 55- to 89-year-old Dutch population. The data are based on a structured interview carried out in a random sample of 120 subjects-60 men and 60 women with the average ages of 69 and 71 years, respectively-in Sassenheim, the Netherlands, as a pilot study of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). The results of linear multiple regression analyses showed that physical activity was a significant predictor of self-rated health. Moreover, the results supported the role of PPSE as a mediator in the association bet…
Effect of Eight Weeks' Physical Training on Muscle and Connective Tissue of the M. Vastus Lateralis in 69-year-old Men and Women
1977
Five one-hour exercise periods a week for 8 weeks included walking-jogging, swimming, gymnastics and ballgames for 26 healthy male and female 69-year-old pensioners. The mean maximal oxygen uptake of the men increased from 28.9 ml-kg-1-min-1 before training to 32.0 ml-kg-1-min-1 after training and for the women from 27.9 to 31.3 ml-kg-1-min-1. Muscle malate dehydrogenase activity was increased while that for lactate dehydrogenase decreased or remained the same. The activity of these enzymes was higher in the male both before and after training when compared with the female. However, the percentage number of slow twitch muscle fibers was nearly the same in both groups. Prolyl hydroxylase act…
European Initiatives in Postgraduate Education in Gerontology
2007
This paper describes three innovative European initiatives in postgraduate education in gerontology. The first is the European Masters Program in Gerontology (EuMaG), developed as an interdisciplinary joint program, supported and delivered by 22 European universities. Second, the Nordplus initiative to increase mobility of students and staff in the field of gerontology in the European Nordic countries is elaborated. Third, two postgraduate Gerontology and Geriatrics programs offered by the European Centre of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Malta are presented. In 1995, the Centre was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for healthy aging. To provide a context for these initiative…
Bone mineral density and physical activity in 50–60-year-old women
1991
Abstract The bone mineral density (BMD) of the calcaneus was measured utilizing a single energy photon absorption method in 108 women, aged 50–60 years. The women who participated in vigorous exercise two or more times a week or whose total physical activity amounted to 4 h a week had significantly higher BMD values than those who exercised less than two times a week or did less than 4 h physical activity a week. The physically active women also showed higher values for leg extension force and maximal oxygen uptake. BMD and leg extension force were positively correlated, whereas correlations between BMD and body mass, and the width of the calcaneus were negative. When other life-style varia…
Muscle strength according to level of physical exercise and educational background in middle-aged women in Finland.
1992
The aim of this study was to examine the role of socio-economic status and the practice of physical exercise in explaining variation in muscle strength in 50 to 60-year-old women. Consequently, four study groups combining education and physical activity were formed: (1) university education, physically active; (2) university education, sedentary; (3) vocational or lower level of education, physically active; (4) vocational or lower level of education, sedentary. Maximal isometric strength of hand grip, arm flexion, body flexion and extension as well as dynamic power of the abdominal muscles were measured in 112 women. The results of the maximal isometric strength measurements were standardi…