0000000000611310
AUTHOR
Bertil Steen
Postural balance and self-reported functional ability in 75-year-old men and women: a cross-national comparative study.
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 balanc…
Intraocular pressure in samples of elderly Finnish and Swedish men and women.
Abstract Intraocular pressure was measured in 231 systematically sampled 75-year-old men and women in Goteborg, Sweden and in 284 75-year-old and 201 80-year-old residents in Jyvaskyla, Finland as part of a comparative study on functional capacity and health, NORA 75 (Nordic Research on Ageing). After excluding the cases reporting glaucoma in their medical history or using drugs for glaucoma treatment there were no significant differences in the distributions of intraocular pressure between the men (mean intraocular pressure in the right eye 15.1 mmHg, left eye 15.0 mmHg) and women (mean intraocular pressure in the right eye 15.5 mmHg, left eye 15.8 mmHg) in Goteborg. In Jyvaskyla the 75-ye…
Postural balance and its sensory-motor correlates in 75-year-old men and women: a cross-national comparative study.
Background. There are no earlier cross-national comparative studies analyzing the functioning of the posture control mechanisms and its sensory-motor correlates in elderly subjects. We investigated whether there are differences in balance between elderly subjects living in different geographical areas, and analyzed the sensory-motor associates of balance in men and women separately. Method. Using a force platform method, the functioning of the posture control system under three standardized conditions (normal standing, eyes open; normal standing, eyes closed; and tandem standing, eyes open) was studied among samples of 75-year-old residents in three Nordic localities, namely Glostrup in Den…
Maximal isometric muscle strength and anthropometry in 75-year-old men and women in three Nordic localities
Isometric maximal strength of hand grip, elbow flexion, knee extension, trunk extension and trunk flexion was studied in representative samples of 75-year-old residents of 3 Nordic localities: Glostrup in Denmark, Gothenburg in Sweden and Jyvaskyla in Finland. The study forms a part of a wider comparative research project analyzing the functional capacity and health of 75-year-olds in these towns. The strength measurements were carried out using standardized techniques and identical dynamometers. The results showed that the strength values of the limb muscles were significantly lower among the 75-year-olds in Jyvaskyla, both in absolute values and in relative units (N/kg body mass). For the…