Activity as a predictor of mental well-being among older adults

This eight-year follow-up study examines the roles of physical and leisure activity as predictors of mental well-being among older adults born in 1904-1923. As part of the Evergreen project, 1224 (80%) persons aged 65-84 years were interviewed at baseline (1988), and 663 (90%) persons in the follow-up (1996). Mental well-being factors including depressive symptoms, anxiety, loneliness, self-rated mental vigour and meaning in life were constructed using factor analysis. The predictors of mental well-being included physical and leisure activity, mobility status and number of chronic illnesses. We used a path analysis model to examine the predictors of mental well-being. At baseline, low numbe…

Biological age, health, and health-risk indicators among 25-57-year-old men in two parts of Finland.

Biological age, health and health-risk indicators were examined among 460 systematically chosen men, aged 25–57 years, in two parts of Finland. Morbidity rates and the prevalence of some health-risk indicators were higher and the standard of living lower in North Karelia than in South-West Finland. The index of biological age (IBA) did not show significant differences between the districts and did not correlate with health-risk indicators. People working in physically hard occupations (industrial and mining workers) were found to have more diseases and had higher IBA values than had workers in lighter occupations. The results suggest that both ageing and morbidity are regulated by occupati…

Socio-economic position and its relationship to physical capacity among elderly people living in Jyväskylä, Finland: five- and ten-year follow-up studies

Socio-economic differences in self-reported disability are well described but much less is known about their associations with more objective measures of physical capacity. The aim was to study socio-economic differences in performance-based physical capacity in 75-year-old persons, examining changes in performance at five- and ten-year follow-up intervals. At the baseline 350 residents of the city of Jyväskylä, Finland, aged 75 were interviewed and 295 of them took part in clinical examinations. The corresponding figures at the five-year follow-up were 234 and 191 and at the ten-year follow-up 139 and 103. The statistical significance of differences in physical capacity between the socio-e…

Associations of sensory-motor functions with poor mobility in 75- and 80-year-old people

This study investigated the associations of sensory-motor functions with mobility in elderly people. All 75- and 80-year-old residents of the city of Jyväskylä, Finland, were invited to take part in the study. A total of 617 (93 % ) persons were interviewed, and 500 (75%) took part in laboratory examinations. Self-reported mobility was recorded during the interview. Basic mobility functions (maximal walking speed and stairmounting ability) and sensory-motor functions (maximal isometric muscle strength, standing balance, reaction time and visual acuity) were measured in the laboratory. Multivariate analyses showed that poor sensory-motor functions were significantly associated with poor perf…

Factors affecting the increased risk of physical inactivity among older people with depressive symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and physical inactivity, and whether motives for and barriers to exercise explain the potential association between depressive symptoms and physical inactivity in older people. The design of the study was cross-sectional. The study population comprised 645 people born between 1922 and 1928 who were residents in a city-center area of Jyväskylä in central Finland. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Center for the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, physical activity using Grimby's (1986) validated scale, and motives for and barriers to exercise using a questionnaire and mobility limitation with a…

Shared Genetic and Environmental Effects on Strength and Power in Older Female Twins

Purpose: This study examined the relative contribution of genetic and environmental effects on maximal leg extensor power and also investigated whether leg extensor power and maximum voluntary isometric knee extensor strength share a genetic component. Methods: Muscle functions were measured as part of the Finnish Twin Study on Aging in 101 monozygotic (MZ) and 116 dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs aged 63–76 yr. Leg extensor power was measured using the Nottingham Leg Extensor Power Rig and maximum voluntary isometric knee extensor strength using an adjustable dynamometer chair. The analyses were carried out using the maximum likelihood method in Mx-program on the raw data set. Results: A b…

Bone density of the calcaneus and fractures in 75- and 80-year-old men and women

Bone mineral density of the calcaneus in relation to fractures was studied both retrospectively and prospectively among the 75- and 80-year-old men and women resident in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland, in 1989 and 1990, respectively. The bone measurements were performed at the calcaneus by 125I-photon absorption. Retrospective fracture (RF) history after age 50 was collected by questionnaire and interview, and reported fractures were checked from medical records. In the retrospective study, in the 75-year-olds a fracture was found in 22% (n = 22) of men and in 45% (n = 84) of women. The corresponding figures for the 80-year-olds were 16% (n = 9) and 35% (n = 48). Over half of the fractures …

Genetic effects in common on maximal walking speed and muscle performance in older women

The purpose was to examine whether maximal walking speed, maximal isometric knee extensor strength, and leg extensor power share genetic or environmental effects in common. The data was collected from 103 monozygotic and 114 dizygotic female twin pairs aged 63–76 years. Maximal walking speed over 10 m was measured in the laboratory corridor using photocells for timing. Isometric knee extensor strength and leg extensor power were measured using an adjustable dynamometer. The genetic models showed that strength, power, and walking speed had a genetic effect in common which accounted for 52% of the variance in strength, 36% in power, and 34% in walking speed. Strength and power had a non-share…

Physical activity compensates for increased mortality risk among older people with poor muscle strength

The aim of the study was to determine whether habitual physical activity can compensate for the increased mortality risk among older people with poor muscle strength. Mortality was followed up for 10 years after laboratory examination in 558 community dwelling 75- and 80-year-old men and women. Maximal isometric strength of five muscle groups was measured and tertile cut-off points were used to categorize participants. Participants, who reported moderate physical activity for at least 4 h a week, were categorized as physically active and the others as sedentary. High muscle strength and physical activity both protected from mortality, but their effect was not additive. Within each muscle st…

Relationship between dental health and 10-year mortality in a cohort of community-dwelling elderly people

Dental examinations were carried out as part of the Evergreen project, which focuses on functional capacity and health among the elderly residents of the city of Jyvaskyla, central Finland. Dental status was examined in 1990 for the whole population born in 1910 (n = 226). Mortality data were collected over 10 yr. The aim of the study was to assess the possible role of dental health as a predictor of mortality. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyse survival curves and Cox regression models, with the number of chronic conditions and self-rated health used as covariates in analysing the risks of death. The results showed that the more teeth or filled teeth a subject had, the smaller was…

The effect of advice by health care professionals on increasing physical activity of older people

The aim of this study was to investigate whether advice by health care professionals is associated with increased exercise activity in older people. As part of the Evergreen follow-up study, self-report data on exercise related advice were collected in 1996 and physical activity in 1988 and 1996 among 611 non-institutional people initially aged 65-84 years. Logistic regression analyses were used to study the association of recollection of having received exercise counseling with increased activity. Of all the subjects, 92% reported having been in contact with health care professionals during the follow-up period, and 58% of them recalled having been advised to exercise. Those men and women …

Changes in hearing in 80-year-old people: a 10-year follow-up study

The aims of this prospective 10-year longitudinal population study were to report changes in hearing in people aged 80 years at baseline, and to assess such changes by comparing results from both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The study population comprised all residents of the city of Jyväskylä born in 1910 (n = 291). The subjects' hearing was tested on three occasions at 5-year intervals with the use of pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and self-report on hearing difficulties. The results showed a significant deterioration in hearing sensitivity in both the longitudinal and cross-sectional assessments over the 10-year follow-up. However, the change in self-assessed hear…

Calcaneal Bone Mineral Density Predicts Fracture Occurrence: A Five-Year Follow-up Study in Elderly People

A 5-year follow-up study investigated calcaneal bone mineral density (BMD) and changes in BMD in relation to fracture occurrence. The subjects comprised two cohorts born in 1914 and 1910 living in the city of Jyväskylä in central Finland. One hundred and three men (82%) and 188 women (73%), aged 75, and 57 men (74%) and 136 women (65%), aged 80, of the eligible population participated in the baseline bone measurements. The follow-up bone measurements were obtained for 59 men (68%) and 119 women (66%), aged 80 years, and for 21 men (53%) and 61 women (48%), aged 85 years. During the follow-up period, 8 men and 36 women from the younger and 11 men and 24 women from the older cohort sustained …

The Evergreen Project: Introduction

Quality of Life and Barriers in the Urban Outdoor Environment in Old Age

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between barriers in the outdoor environment and perceived quality of life (QoL) in old age and to assess whether fear of moving outdoors and unmet physical activity need contribute to this association. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Community and research center. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred eighty-nine, community-dwelling people aged 75 to 81 took part in face-to-face home-interviews and examinations in the research center. MEASUREMENTS: QoL was assessed using the LEIPAD questionnaire. Environmental barriers were studied based on self-reports of lack of resting places or long distances (distances), noisy traffic or dangerous crossroads (traffic), and…

Gerontologia Jyväskylän yliopistossa

Serum osteocalcin in relation to calcaneal bone mineral density in elderly men and women: a 5-year follow-up

A 5-year follow-up study investigated serum concentrations of total (tOC) and intact (iOC) osteocalcin in relation to calcaneal bone mineral density (BMD). The study comprised two cohorts, 75- and 80-year-olds, both resident in the city of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Baseline OC and BMD were obtained for 161 men and 233 women, of whom 83 men and 189 women participated in follow-up bone measurements. The mean concentration of tOC increased from 9.6 +/- 4.3 to 13.2 +/- 8.5 microg/l (P = 0.001) in men and from 11.2 +/- 4.9 to 14.0 +/- 6.1 microg/l (P < 0.001) in women, whereas mean iOC decreased from 6.4 +/- 3.0 to 5.9 +/- 3.0 microg/l (P = 0.273) and from 7.7 +/- 3.7 to 6.9 +/- 3.4 microg/l (P = 0.02…

Reaction and Movement Times in Men of Different Ages: A Population Study

Tests of psychomotor and motor speed at different levels of complexity were studied in random samples of men aged 31 to 35, 51 to 55, and 71 to 75 yr. The study was performed as a part of a larger research project on health and functional aging. Analyses indicated significantly slower responses among older men at all levels of test complexity (maximal knee extension velocity, tapping rate, simple and choice reaction and movement times). There were marked differences both between the youngest and the middle-aged groups and between the middle-aged and the oldest groups. Within the age groups high psychomotor and motor speed were associated with a favourable functioning of certain senses (vib…

Multidimensional health assessment of 75- and 80-year-old men and women: a five-year prospective study.

Background and aims: There are no earlier reports of regular multidimensional health check programs in elderly people. The aim of this study was to establish the number and type of previously unrecognized health conditions in two cohorts of elderly people examined twice during a 5-year period, and to determine how these conditions were subsequently evaluated and treated. Methods: This population-based study, carried out at a university research center in Finland, consisted of a multidimensional and multiphased health assessment including interviews, health questionnaires and medical examinations and tests, and follow-up of subsequent examinations and treatment. Participants were all 75- (N=…

Factors related to coping with physical and instrumental activities of daily living among people born in 1904-1923

Functional ability is affected by a number of different factors, including biological ageing, illness, and living environment. This study was concerned with the connections of functional ability with mood and cognitive capacity in elderly individuals. It forms part of a cross-sectional study which was carried out in 1988, involving two random samples of 800 non-institutionalized persons born in 1904–1913 and 1914–1923. Functional ability tests included 18 questions; eight concerned coping with physical activities of daily living (PADL) and 10 instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Depressive symptoms and cognitive capacity were examined by tests. In addition, there was a set of que…

The current state and developments in higher education in gerontology in the Nordic countries

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…

Muscle strength before and mortality after a bone fracture in older people

We studied whether muscle strength measured before a bone fracture predicts mortality following the fracture. The participants were a sub-cohort of 82 people of a total of 493 Evergreen project participants initially aged 75- and 80 years, who had participated in knee extension strength tests as part of the baseline examinations, and who subsequently suffered at least one bone fracture. Maximal isometric knee extension strength was measured at baseline using an adjustable dynamometer chair. Fracture surveillance was carried out from patient records for 5 years, and mortality surveillance from population register for 10 years after baseline examinations. Average time till a fracture occurred…

EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COUNSELING ON HOME CARE USE IN OLDER PEOPLE

Physical training and connective tissues in young mice-heart

The effect of physical training on the chemical properties of the heart tissues was studied in male mice of NMRI-strain. The mice to be trained and their controls were about 2 weeks old at the beginning of the training, which took place on 5 degrees inclined treadmill 5 days a week for 3-22 weeks. The duration of daily exercise was progressively increased over the first 3 weeks. The final daily exercise bouts were 50 and 80 min for moderate programs and 180 min for the intensive program at a speed of 30 cm/s. The whole heart or the ventricles were used for the analyses. We found no significant changes related to training in the concentrations of nitrogen, hexosamines, and hydroxyproline bot…

Myopia, use of eyes, and living habits among men aged 33-37 years

As a part of a more extensive research project on health and functional capacity among a representative sample of men, the living habits and backgrounds of myopic men between 33 and 37 years of age living in the town of Jyväskylä were studied in comparison with non-myopic men of the same age. The prevalence of a negative spheric equivalent, which was considered as a criterion of myopia, was 25%. It was found that the myopic, on the average, had been more interested in reading from childhood onwards, their educational and occupational status were higher, and their body structure was lighter. As children they had taken less physical exercise, but as adults no difference was found in physical …

Changes in dental status over 10 years in 80-year-old people: a prospective cohort study.

–  Objectives:  The aim of the present study was to follow-up the condition of the teeth over a sufficiently long period. Methods:  Dental examinations were a part of a multidisciplinary 10-year cohort study on the elderly. These examinations were made in 1990 (n = 226), 1995 (n = 90) and 2000 (n = 65) for the entire population born in 1910 and living in Jyvaskyla, Finland. The subjects were divided into two categories, dentate (one tooth or more) and edentulous. Results: The results showed that men had more intact teeth and lower DMF scores than women, but the differences diminished during the follow-up period. The number of remaining and filled teeth of those women who took part in all th…

Cardiac adverse effects and acute exercise in elderly subjects

Cardiac arrhythmias, ST segment depressions and other cardiac adverse effects are occasionally seen in relation to physical exercise in elderly people. However, the magnitude, quality, and time-dependence of these events need to be clarified. During voluntary maximal cycle ergometer exercise (CEE), immediate cardiac disturbances as a reason for exercise termination were registered in a sample of 75-year-old men and women (N=203) (population group, PG). Any referrals to hospital following cardiac incidents within 24 hours post-CEE were obtained from patient records. Ambulatory ECG was recorded 24 hours before and after CEE in 23 elderly subjects (12 men, 11 women) capable of maximal effort (…

Self-rated health and self-assessed change in health in elderly men and women — A five-year longitudinal study

The purpose of the present investigation was two fold: (1) to examine how men and women self-rate their health as they age from 75 to 80 yr and how they assess the change in their health over the five year period; and (2) to ascertain how self-assessed change in health over the follow-up period corresponded to the difference in self-ratings of health between the assessments performed at baseline and at follow-up. The study was part of the Evergreen-project with the study group comprising all inhabitants born in 1914 (N = 388) living in Jyväskylä, central Finland. At baseline, 93.4%, and at follow-up, 93.3%, of those who were eligible participated in the interview. Self-rated health, when as…

Rejoinder to Chambers' Comments

RÉSUMÉLes commentaires du professeur Larry Chambers soulèvent des enjeux qui méritent réflexion. Il préfêre le terme «théorie» à celui de «modèle»; il y a plusieurs définitions du concept de modèle et, en conséquence, absence de concensus. Pour moi, le modèle est une métaphore qui guide la recherche de théorie. Quand les variables sont très nombreuses, comme en épidémiologie écologique, le modèle permet au chercheur de construire une séquence d'évenéments qui aide à la compréhension du phénomène étudié. Chambers a raison: je n'ai pas essayer de définir des facteurs de risque spécifiquement épidémiologiques et écologiques. En pratique, les facteurs écologiques du vieillissement restent en ar…

The association of socio-economic factors with physical and mental capacity in elderly men and women

The association of socio-economic factors with functional capacity has received less research attention than their association with diseases and mortality. However, functional capacity is an important measure of health and independence in the elderly. This study explores the associations of socio-economic factors with physical and mental capacity as measured in laboratory tests and on the basis of self-report. The data were drawn from the Evergreen project, comprising all persons aged 75 (N=388) and 80 (N=291) in Jyväskylä, central Finland. Women with a higher level of education showed better functional capacity on all indicators, among men higher education was only associated with better v…

Muscle strength and mobility as predictors of survival in 75-84-year-old people.

The purpose of the study was to examine the association of physical capacity, as determined on the basis of self-report and physical measurements, with survival in three groups of elderly people aged 75, 80 and 75-84 years. The main aspects of physical capacity were mobility, walking speed, hand grip strength and knee extension strength. Although 1142 persons participated in mobility interview, of whom 466 also took part in the walking speed test, and 463 in the strength tests. The follow-up periods ranged from 48 to 58 months. Risk of death was significantly related to difficulties in indoor mobility among the 75-84-year-olds (odds ratio = 1.99, 95% confidence interval = 1.27-3.13) and 75-…

The predictive value of exercise testing for survival among 75-year-old men and women

All 75-year-olds born in 1914 and living in the city of Jyväskylä, central Finland (n=388) were invited to study the predictive value of exercise test for mortality. Subjects who entered the laboratory (n=295) were to have a standard pre-test evaluation and perform a cycle ergometer exercise test. Subjects with complete background, exercise-test status and mortality data (n=282) were divided into three groups according to exercise-test status: a non-exercise test group (n=79), an exercise-test termination group (n=95), and an exercise-test completion group (n=108). Mortality was followed up for 9 years. The multivariate hazard ratio (HR) for death among the non-exercise test group compared …

Factors associated with maximal walking speed among older community-living adults.

Background and aims: The relative contribution of different domains on walking speed is largely unknown. This study investigated the central factors associated with maximal walking speed among older people. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the SCAMOB study (ISRCTN 07330512) involving 605 community-living ambulatory adults aged 75–81 years. Maximal walking speed, leg extensor power, standing balance and body mass index were measured at the research center. Physical activity, smoking, use of alcohol, chronic diseases and depressive symptoms were self-reported by standard questionnaires. Results: The mean maximal walking speed was 1.4 m/s (range 0.3–2.9). In linear regre…

A path analysis model of self-rated health among older people.

The aim of this study was to examine the structure of self-rated health among 75-year-old men and women. The study was part of the Evergreen project, comprising all the 75-year-old residents (N = 382) of Jyväskylä, in central Finland, in 1989. The data were collected by interviews, questionnaires and laboratory examinations, focusing on different domains of health and functional capacity. Of the target group, 91.6% (119 men and 231 women) participated in the interview, and 77.2% (104 men and 191 women) took part in the clinical and laboratory examinations. Path analysis models (LISREL 8) were used to examine the structure of self-rated health. About half the participants self-rated their he…

Collagen of slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibres in different types of rat skeletal muscle

The appearance of collagen around individual fast twitch (FT) and slow twitch (ST) muscle fibres was investigated in skeletal muscles with different contractile properties using endurance trained and untrained rats as experimental animals. The collagenous connective tissue was analyzed by measuring hydroxyproline biochemically and by staining collagenous material histochemically in M. soleus (MS), M. rectus femoris (MRF), and M. gastrocnemius (MG). The concentration of hydroxyproline in the ST fibres dissected from MS (2.72 +/- 0.35 micrograms X mg-1 d.w.) was significantly higher than that of the FT fibres dissected from MRF (1.52 +/- 0.33 micrograms X mg-1 d.w.). Similarly, the concentrat…

Recommendations for and warnings against physical activity given to older people by health care professionals.

Abstract Background Little is known about how health care professionals advice older people with chronic conditions about physical exercise. This study investigated exercise counseling in the context of health care as perceived by older people, and factors associated with perceived advice. Design and methods Participants were 580 non-institutional 73- to 92-year-old people who reported at least one contact with health care during the previous 12 months. Results Of all the participants, 23% recalled solely recommendations to exercise, and 9% solely warnings against exercise. Additionally, 34% recalled receiving both recommendations for and warnings against physical activity, and 34% did not …

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…

Health and functional capacity as predictors of community dwelling among elderly people

The aim of this study was to identify factors that predict community dwelling (i.e., nonuse of institutional bed-days) among elderly people. This was a longitudinal study of institution use including both short-term and long-term use of hospitals and nursing homes. The impact of health, functional performance, and carrying out the activities of daily living on community dwelling was studied using the method of path analysis. The participants were all the 75-year-old (N = 388) and 80-year-old (N = 291) men and women resident in the City of Jyväskylä, Finland. Predictor variables included disease severity, symptoms of illness, cognitive capacity, walking speed, muscle strength, hearing, and a…

Mobility limitations and cognitive deficits as predictors of institutionalization among community-dwelling older people.

&lt;i&gt;Purpose:&lt;/i&gt; Mobility limitations and cognitive disorders have often been observed as risks for institutionalization. However, their combined effects on risk of institutionalization among initially community-dwelling older people have been less well reported. &lt;i&gt;Design:&lt;/i&gt; A prospective cohort study with 10-year surveillance on institutionalization. &lt;i&gt;Subjects:&lt;/i&gt; Study population (n = 476) consisted of 75- and 80-year-old people who were community-dwelling, had not been diagnosed with dementia, and participated in tests on walking speed and cognitive capacity at a research centre. &lt;i&gt;Measures:&lt;/i&gt; Cognitive capacity was measured with th…

Effect of Physical Activity Counseling on Disability in Older People: A 2-Year Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of a physical activitycounseling intervention on instrumental activity of dailyliving (IADL) disability.DESIGN: Primary care–based, single-blind, randomizedcontrolled trial.SETTING: City of Jyva¨skyla¨, central Finland.PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred thirty-two people aged 75to 81 who were able to walk 500 meters without assistance,were at most moderately physically active, had a Mini-Mental State Examination score greater than 21, had nomedical contraindications for physical activity, and gaveinformed consent for participation.INTERVENTION: A single individualized physical activitycounseling session with supportive phone calls from a physio-therapist every 4 month…

Heritability of maximal isometric muscle strength in older female twins.

The purpose of the present study was to examine genetic and environmental effects on maximal isometric handgrip, knee extension, and ankle plantar flexion strength. In addition, we wanted to investigate whether the strength of these three muscle groups shares a genetic component or whether the genetic effect is specific for each muscle group. Muscle strength was measured as part of the Finnish Twin Study on Aging in 97 monozygotic (MZ) and 102 dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs, aged 63-76 yr. The MZ and DZ individuals did not differ from each other in age, body height, weight, or self-related health. The age-adjusted pairwise (intraclass) correlations of the MZ and DZ twins were, respective…

Contribution of genetic and environmental effects to postural balance in older female twins

The aim of the present study was to determine the relative roles of genetic and environmental influences on postural balance in older women. The participants were 97 monozygotic (MZ) and 102 dizygotic (DZ) female twins, aged 64–76 yr. Postural sway was measured during side-by-side stance with eyes open and eyes closed, and during semitandem stance with eyes open on a force platform. Sway data were condensed into four first-order and one second-order latent factors. The second-order factor, named balance, incorporates sway data from multiple tests and thus best describes the phenotype of postural balance. The contribution of genetic and environmental influences on the variability of the lat…

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…

Lowered vision as a risk factor for injurious accidents in older people

Poor vision in older people is often related to increased fall risk. However, the association of the severity between visual deficit and risk for all kind of injurious accidents has not been widely studied. The aim of this study was to examine whether visual loss is associated with higher incidence of injurious accidents and whether walking speed or physical activity play a mediating role in the association.416 persons aged 75 and 80 years at baseline underwent visual acuity measurements. Visual acuity (VA)0.3 in the better eye, with spectacle correction when necessary, was defined as visual impairment, VAor=0.3 butor=0.5 as lowered vision, and VA0.5 as normal VA. Hospital records of accide…

Mobility difficulties and physical activity as predictors of mortality and loss of independence in the community-living older population.

OBJECTIVE: In older people, mobility impairments and physical inactivity are risk factors for further disability and death. We studied the interaction of physical activity and mobility impairment as a predictor of dependence and mortality. DESIGN: A population-based, prospective study. The data were collected in structured interviews in the year 1988 and 8 years later in the year 1996 as part of the Evergreen Project. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 1109 independently living, at baseline 65- to 84-year-old people in the city of Jyvaskyla, in central Finland. METHODS: Participants were ranked into four groups: (1) Intact mobility and physically active (Mobile-Active), (2) Intact mobility and sed…

Self-rated health and mortality: Could clinical and performance-based measures of health and functioning explain the association?

It is well established that self-rated health (SRH) predicts mortality even when other indicators of health status are taken into account. It has been suggested that SRH measures a wide array of mortality-related physiological and pathological characteristics not captured by the covariates included in the analyses. Our aim was to test this hypothesis by examining the predictive value of SRH on mortality controlling for different measurements of body structure, performance-based functioning and diagnosed diseases with a population-based, prospective study over an 18-year follow-up. Subjects consisted of 257 male residents of the city of Jyväskylä, central Finland, aged 51-55 and 71-75 years.…

Pure-Tone Thresholds, Speech Understanding, and Their Correlates in Samples of Men of Different Ages1

Pure-tone thresholds and speech understanding were studied in three samples of men of different ages (31-35, 51-55 and 71-75 years). The air-conducted pure-tone thresholds were measured at 125-8,000 Hz and speech understanding by the help of interrupted and masked speech tests. The audiological measures were related to measures of other sensory functions, psychomotor speed, cognitive functions, psychic well-being, occupational and educational background and health. The results indicated a clear decrement in all audiological measures when proceeding from younger to older age groups. The results of the speech-understanding tests correlated significantly with the pure-tone thresholds both at 4…

Difficulties in mobility among elderly people and their association with socioeconomic factors, dwelling environment and use of services.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the extent to which elderly people have difficulties in mobility, and determine their association with socioeconomic factors, dwelling environment and use of services. The study groups were composed of two random samples of 800 persons aged 65–74 and 75–84, respectively. In all, 1224 non- institutionalized persons (80%) were interviewed at home. The respondents were asked to assess their ability to get about the house, negotiate stairs and walk outdoors, as well as manage certain physical exercise tasks. Difficulties in getting about outdoors were found most frequently among the women in the older age group (52% reported difficulties), and least freq…

Associations of socio-economic position and disability among older women in Britain and Jyväskylä, Finland

The aim was to compare the pattern of associations in measures of socio-economic position and disability among British and Finnish older women. In Britain data from the British Women's Heart and Health Study was used. Women from 23 towns took part in a nurse-assessed medical examination and postal questionnaire (n = 4286). In Finland, data from the Evergreen study was used. Eight hundred and four women from the city of Jyväskylä were interviewed at home. Socio-economic position was measured according to social class in childhood, education, use of a car, home ownership and previous occupation. Disability measures included questions on difficulties in washing/dressing and climbing stairs. Lo…

Perceived constraints on physical exercise among obese and non-obese older people.

Abstract Objective To examine what older obese people consider as constraints on their physical exercise and to determine whether these constraints can explain the differences in physical activity. Methods Six hundred nineteen community-living people aged 75–81 years living in Jyvaskyla, Central Finland, in 2003 were included in these cross-sectional analyses. Weight and height were measured at the research center, and physical activity and perceived constraints on physical exercise were assessed using validated questionnaires. Participants were categorized as non-obese ( n  =   436), moderately obese ( n  =   127) or severely obese ( n  =   56). Results The risk of physical inactivity was …

Effects of physical training on metabolism of connective tissues in young mice.

The effects of physical training on the metabolism of collagen, calcium and glycosaminoglycans in various connective tissues were studied in male NMRI mice. The mice to be trained and their controls were about 3 weeks old (expt. I) and 8 weeks old (expt. II) at the commencement of training. The training was performed on a 5 degree inclined treadmill 5 days a week for 4 weeks in expt. I and for 3 weeks in expt. II. The daily exercise time was progressively increased from 20 min in the first week up to 80 min in the third week. The incorporation of 3H-proline to collagen hydroxyproline was increased by training in long bones, skeletal muscle and Achilles tendon, whereas the incorporation of 3…

Peripheral arterial disease and its clinical significance in nonagenarians

The purpose of this study was to characterize the prevalence and clinical features of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) among 90-year-old individuals and to assess its relationship to lower extremity functional status and survival over one year.A prospective, population- based study of all 90-year-old residents of Jyväskylä, Finland. Fifty-eight out of the 79 registered residents were examined for ankle-brachial index (ABI). Lower extremity functional status was assessed as self-reported difficulty in performing specific physical activities of daily living (PADL). In a subgroup of 36 individuals, lower extremity functioning was further assessed by measuring walking endurance and walking vel…

Fear of Moving Outdoors and Development of Outdoor Walking Difficulty in Older People

OBJECTIVES: To study which individual characteristics and environmental factors correlate with fear of moving outdoors and whether fear of moving outdoors predicts development of mobility limitation. DESIGN: Observational prospective cohort study and cross-sectional analyses. SETTING: Community and research center. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred twenty-seven community-living people aged 75 to 81 were interviewed at baseline, of whom 314 took part in a 3.5-year follow-up. MEASUREMENTS: Fear of moving outdoors and its potential individual and environmental correlates were assessed at baseline. Perceived difficulties in walking 0.5 km and 2 km were assessed twice a year over a 3.5-year period. RE…

A cohort study found good respiratory, sensory and motor functions decreased mortality risk in older people

Abstract Background and Objective The main aims of this study were to evaluate the separate and joint effects of respiratory, sensory, and psychomotor function, muscle strength, and mobility in predicting mortality in older men and women, and to find a way to control multicollinearity in a multivariate Cox regression model. Methods Mortality was followed for 10 years (1990–2000) in an entire cohort of 75-year-old residents of the city of Jyvaskyla, Finland (born in 1914; N =388). Cox regression models and principal component estimation were employed to study the association between the covariates and mortality. Results The study indicated that, after adjustment for fatal diseases and cognit…

Determinants of isometric muscle strength in men of different ages

Values of maximal isometric strength of five muscle groups and associated factors including occupational status, life style and health were studied in three groups of men aged from 31 to 35, 51 to 55, and 71 to 75 years. The results indicated significant differences between the age groups in isometric handgrip, elbow flexion, knee extension, trunk extension and trunk flexion strength. In the youngest group, the manual workers tended to have higher strength values in all muscle groups than the lower and higher status white collar workers, whereas among the middle-aged and oldest men the manual workers tended to have the poorest performance. Good self-rated health and the intensity of physica…

Long-term effect of physical activity counseling on mobility limitation among older people: a randomized controlled study.

Background. Physical activity counseling increases physical activity among older people, but its effectiveness on mobility, that is, maintaining the ability to move independently, is unknown. We studied the effect of physical activity counseling on mobility among older people and evaluated whether counseling-induced benefi ts persist after cessation of the intervention. Methods. In a 2-year, single-blinded, randomized controlled study, 632 sedentary participants aged 75 – 81 years were randomly assigned into the intervention ( n = 318) or control ( n = 314) group. The intervention group received a single individualized physical activity counseling session with a supportive telephone contact…

Customer-oriented counseling for physical activity in older people: study protocol and selected baseline results of a randomized-controlled trial (ISRCTN 07330512)

The objective of this study is to describe the rationale, design and selected baseline results of a 2-year randomized-controlled trial (RCT) on the effects of physical activity counseling in community-living older people. After a four-phase screening and data-collection process targeting all independently living people in the city center of Jyvaskyla, Finland, six hundred and thirty-two 75–81-year-old cognitively intact, sedentary persons who were able to move independently outdoors at least minimally and willing to take part in the RCT were randomized into intervention and control groups. At baseline, over half of the subjects exercised less than two to three times a month and two-thirds w…

Hearing among 75-year-old people in three Nordic localities: A comparative study

The aim of this study was to compare auditory functions and to analyse the prevalence of hearing impairment and the relationship of self-reported hearing disability with audiometric test results among 75-year-old people in three Nordic localities. The representative samples came from Glostrup, Denmark (n = 571), Goteborg, Sweden (n =450), and Jyvaskyla, Finland (n =388). The median pure-tone thresholds were rather similar in all three populations. The prevalence of moderate hearing impairment varied between 26% and 34% in men, and between 17% and 23% in women. The corresponding figures in the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulties were 41%-57%, and 28%-37%. The self-reported diffi…

Physical activity compensates for increased mortality risk among oder people with poor muscle strength

The aim of the study was to determine whether habitual physical activity can compensate for the increased mortality risk among older people with poor muscle strength. Mortality was followed up for 10 years after laboratory examination in 558 community dwelling 75- and 80-year-old men and women. Maximal isometric strength of five muscle groups was measured and tertile cut-off points were used to categorize participants. Participants, who reported moderate physical activity for at least 4 h a week, were categorized as physically active and the others as sedentary. High muscle strength and physical activity both protected from mortality, but their effect was not additive. Within each muscle st…

Maximal isometric strength and mobility among 75-year-old men and women.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between maximal isometric strength and mobility among 75-year-old men and women. All those born in 1914 and resident in the city of Jyvaskyla in August 1989 comprised the study group (n = 388); 355 persons were interviewed at their homes (92%): 101 men (81% of all male residents) and 186 women (75%) participated in the laboratory strength tests. As part of the home interview the person's mobility at home, on stairs and outdoors was assessed using a four-point scale:--1 able, 2--able with difficulty, 3--needs help, 4--unable. Poor mobility was more common among the drop-outs than among the strength-tested subjects in both sexes. Maxima…

Absent pedal pulse and impaired balance in older people: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Background and aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between abnormal pedal pulse status and postural balance in older people. Methods: Prospective, population-based cohort study of older residents in the city of Jyvaskyla, Finland. A total of 419 individuals aged 75 or 80 at baseline, with known lower extremity pulse status and balance tests performed on a force platform, were eligible for analysis. Results: Cross-sectionally, persons with both dorsal pedal artery pulses absent were found to sway more (p=0.047 anteroposterior velocity, normal standing eyes-open position). The risk of being unable to do the full tandem stance was twofold (OR=2.20, 95% CI 1.29–3.7…

Effect of Eight Weeks' Physical Training on Muscle and Connective Tissue of the M. Vastus Lateralis in 69-year-old Men and Women

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…

Visual Acuity and Mortality in Older People and Factors on the Pathway

To examine vision as a predictor of mortality in older people and the role of mobility, depressed mood, chronic diseases, body mass index, physical activity and injurious accidents in this possible association.223 persons aged 75 and 193 persons aged 80 years at the baseline participated in visual acuity measurements. Visual acuity (VA) of0.3 in the better eye was defined as visual impairment, VA ofor = 0.3 butor = 0.5 as lowered vision and VA0.5 as normal VA. Death dates were received from the official register. Cox regression models were used to determine the relative risks of mortality and to study what factors lie on the pathway from poor vision to mortality.Over the 10-year follow-up, …

Effect of previous exercise on fracture healing: a biochemical study with mice.

(1974). Effect of Previous Exercise on Fracture Healing: A Biochemical Study with Mice. Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica: Vol. 45, No. 1-4, pp. 481-489.

Effect of physical activity councelling on disability in older people: A 2-year randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of a physical activity counseling intervention on instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) disability. DESIGN: Primary care–based, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: City of Jyväskylä, central Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred thirty-two people aged 75 to 81 who were able to walk 500 meters without assistance, were at most moderately physically active, had a Mini-Mental State Examination score greater than 21, had no medical contraindications for physical activity, and gave informed consent for participation. INTERVENTION: A single individualized physical activity counseling session with supportive phone calls from a physiotherapist ever…

Physical activity history and end-of-life hospital and long-term care

Background: Little is known about the early predictors of need for care in late life. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physical activity from midlife onward was associated with hospital and long-term care in the last year of life. Methods: We studied a decedent population of 846 persons aged 66–98 years at death, who, on average 5.8 years prior to death, had participated in an interview about their current and earlier physical activity. Data on the use of care in the last year of life are register-based data and complete. Results: Men needed on average 96 days (SD 7.0) and women 138 days (SD 6.2) of inpatient care in the last year of life. Among men, the risk for all-cau…

Self-rated health and mortality in older men and women: A time-dependent covariate analysis

Although the relation between self-rated health (SRH) and mortality is widely known, most of the studies have relied in baseline measurements unheeding the dynamics of the phenomenon. Our aim was to analyze how SRH both as a constant and as a time-dependent covariate predicts mortality in older men and women and to compare these different approaches. Subjects consisted of 110 male and 208 female (n = 318) residents in the city of Jyvaskyla, central Finland, aged 75 years at the baseline in 1989. The follow-up data was gathered in 1994 and mortality was followed for 10 years. Results showed that poor SRH was strongly associated with higher mortality risk in women in all models. In men, the a…

Health situation and related social conditions among 66-year-old Finnish men.

Health situation and related social conditions among 66-year-old Finnish men. Heikkinen, E., Käyhty-Seppänen, B. and Pohjolainen, P. (Dept. of Public Health, University of jyväskylä, Finland). The aims of the study were to reveal the extent of physical activity, nutritional habits, smoking and alcohol consumption and the relation of these to previous occupation among recently retired men. The number of men belonging to various health risk groups was estimated on the basis of the results. About 10% had inadequate nutritional habits as judged from their food expenses and number of daily hot meals and about 20% practised physical exercise in the way which is considered necessary for the impro…

Handgrip strength and cause-specific and total mortality in older disabled women: exploring the mechanism.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between muscle strength and total and cause-specific mortality and the plausible contributing factors to this association, such as presence of diseases commonly underlying mortality, inflammation, nutritional deficiency, physical inactivity, smoking, and depression. DESIGN: Prospective population-based cohort study with mortality surveillance over 5 years. SETTING: Elderly women residing in the eastern half of Baltimore, Maryland, and part of Baltimore County. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred nineteen moderately to severely disabled women aged 65 to 101 who participated in handgrip strength testing at baseline as part of the Women's Health and Aging Study. M…

Effect of physical activity counseling on home care use in older people

Serum and urine markers of type I collagen metabolism in elderly women with high and low bone mineral density.

The serum markers of bone formation (carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I collagen, PICP) and resorption (pyridinoline cross-links containing telopeptide of type I collagen, ICTP), as well as urinary resorption markers, pyridinoline (Pyr) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr), were studied in 78-year-old women with high (n = 18) and low (n = 17) bone mineral density (BMD) measured from the calcaneus and tibia. The low-BMD group had higher values for PICP (P = 0 center dot 025), Pyr (P = 0 center dot 001) and Dpyr (P < 0 center dot 001) than the high-BMD group. No inverse relationship between these markers and BMD was, however, observed within the study groups. ICTP, Pyr and Dpyr correlated with eac…

Correlates of vibrotactile thresholds in men of different ages

— As a part of a larger gerontological research project vibrotactile thresholds on the inner malleolus of the ankle were studied in 355 men aged 31–35, 51–55 and 71–75 years. The groups studied were random samples of men living in the town of Jyvaskyla in Finland in the year 1981. The thresholds were assessed at three frequencies: 50 Hz, 100 Hz and 250 Hz. The thresholds were associated with age at all frequencies, the means of the threshold values being significantly higher in the older age groups. Within the age groups the thresholds correlated positively with height. In addition, reaction and movement time, leg extension velocity, and postural sway were associated with the thresholds. Ne…

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…

Effects of 8 weeks' endurance training on skeletal muscle metabolism in 56?70-year-old sedentary men

The effects of 8 weeks' endurance training on muscle metabolism at rest and after a submaximal bicycle ergometer exercise were studied in 31 previously sedentary men, aged 56-70. Training consisted of 3-5 one hour exercise bouts per week including walking-jogging, swimming, gymnastics and ball games. The effects of training were similar to those previously reported for younger men. Mean maximal oxygen uptake increased (11%), as did the resting values for muscle glycogen concentration, the enzymes representing aerobic energy metabolism (malate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase), and also some of the anaerobic enzymes (creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase). Lactate production du…

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…

A comparative study of factors related to carrying out physical activities of daily living (PADL) among 75-year-old men and women in two nordic localities

The aim of this cross-sectional and cross-national study was to describe and compare the ability to carry out physical activities of daily living (PADL) and examine factors that might explain variation in this ability in two Nordic populations. Seven hundred and six men and women aged 75 from two populations (Glostrup, Denmark, and Jyväskylä, Finland) were interviewed and given a laboratory examination in 1989-90. The ability to carry out the PADL activities was studied by interview. Tests were given to determine depressive symptoms, cognitive capacity, and selected physical and sensory performance domains. Four different regression models (men and women in Jyväskylä and Glostrup) were used…

Bone mineral density and physical activity in 50–60-year-old women

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…

Motor speed and lower extremity strength as predictors of fall-related bone fractures in elderly individuals.

Background and aims: The purpose of this prospective population-based study was to examine the combined effects of motor speed and knee extension strength on risk of fall-related bone fractures in elderly individuals over a 10-year period. Methods: Participants were 307 men and women aged 75 or 80 years at baseline, who visited the research laboratory at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Multi-choice motor speed tests and maximal isometric knee extension strength tests were carried out at baseline. Information on fractures was collected from hospital and health center records. The presence of impairment was defined as a score in the lowest tertile of sex- and age-stratified distribution…

Changes in health, functional performance and activity predict changes in self-rated health: a 10-year follow-up study in older people.

Abstract The purpose was to examine changes in self-rated health (SRH) in older people and associations between these changes and various self-reported and objectively measured indicators of health status, functional performance and activity at three time-points 5 years apart. Further, our aim was to examine whether SRH takes the form of a continuum. The study group comprised all the baseline 75-year-old inhabitants of the City of Jyvaskyla, Finland (N=382). Four groups were formed according to change/stability in SRH: ‘good–good’, ‘good–bad’, ‘bad–good’ and ‘bad–bad’. Cross-tabulation and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the cross-sectional differences, and GLM Repe…

Muscle strength according to level of physical exercise and educational background in middle-aged women in Finland.

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…

Physical Activity and the Changes in Maximal Isometric Strength in Men and Women from the Age of 75 to 80 Years

OBJECTIVE: To research the natural changes in maximal isometric strength, over a period of 5 years, in men and women aged 75 at baseline, and to study the effect of everyday physical activity on strength alterations. DESIGN: A 5-year longitudinal study. SETTING: Exercise laboratory PARTICIPANTS: The target group in 1989 was the total 75-year-old population of Jyvaskyla. One hundred one men (81%) and 186 women (75%) participated in baseline strength tests, and after 5 years, 55 men and 111 women (70% and 72% of the survivors) took part in the follow-up measurements. METHODS: Maximal isometric hand grip, arm flexion, knee extension, trunk flexion, and trunk extension forces were measured usin…

Predictors of decline in self-assessments of health among older people--a 5-year longitudinal study.

Within the framework of the Evergreen project we examined how changes in several indicators of health and functioning and physical activity predicted a decline in self-assessments of health evaluated over a 5-year period in older people by two different measurements: self-rated health (SRH) and self-assessed change in health (SACH). The study group comprised all 75-year-old persons born in 1914 (N = 382) and living in Jyvaskyla, a town in central Finland. At baseline in 1989, 91.6%, and at follow-up 5 years later in 1994, 87.3% of those eligible participated in the interview and 77.2 and 71.3%, respectively, in the examinations in the study centre, focusing on different domains of health an…

Constant Hierarchic Patterns of Physical Functioning Across Seven Populations in Five Countries

This research was aimed at identifying critical steps in the decline in physical function that often parallels aging. Six basic and nine instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs) were classified into four domains of disability characterized by specific underlying physical impairment. The hierarchical order of this classification was verified in two random samples representative of the older home-dwelling population. The concordance level of disability and results of performance-based measures of physical function were also tested. Finally, the cross-cultural reliability of the model was verified in seven population-based samples of older persons living in five European countries. In ol…

Enzyme activities in muscle and connective tissue of M. vastus lateralis in habitually training and sedentary 33 to 70-year-old men

A cross-sectional study was carried out to examine the activities of certain enzymes representing aerobic and anaerobic energy metabolism as well as the biosynthesis of collagen of M. vastus lateralis in 23 male endurance athletes in habitual training, aged 33 to 70 years. 23 sedentary healthy men of corresponding ages were selected for the control group. The mean maximal oxygen uptake of the trained subjects was 53.6 ml · kg−1 · min−1 and that of the control subjects 36.3 ml · kg−1 · min−1. As compared to the control group the trained subjects had significantly higher values in the muscle malate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and prolyl hydroxylase activities, whereas the opposite …

International conference on biomedical aspects of aging research December 10-13, 1997 Fondazione Cini, San Giorgio, Venezia, Italy

Reduced mobility and physical activity as predictors of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults: an eight-year follow-up study.

Background and aims: Epidemiological research suggests that reduced physical activity and mobility may be associated with depressive symptoms. The present study examines the relative roles of mobility status and physical activity as predictors of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: The subjects comprised randomly selected, non-institutionalized residents of the city of Jyvaskyla, central Finland, born in 1904–1923. At baseline, 80% (N=1224) and after the 8-year follow-up period (1996) 88% (N=663) of eligible persons were interviewed. All non-institutionalized men and women (N=384) who participated in both baseline and follow-up interviews, who supplied data o…

Effect of Physical Training on Enzyme Activities of Bones, Tendons and Skeletal Muscles in Mice

According to several recent papers the activity of some enzymes of energy yielding metabolic pathways increases by endurance training in muscles, but it is not yet known whether similar changes occur also in connective tissues. Some structural, chemical, physical and metabolic changes, however, appear in connective tissues during adaptation to physical exercise. Physical training produces hypertrophy of e.g. tendon and articular cartilage in young rabbits [6] and increases the tensile strength of tendons and breaking strength of bones in growing mice [7]. The level of physical activity affects the turnover of collagen in long bones and Achilles tendons of mice [4] and also affects the miner…

Factors related to carrying out everyday activities among elderly people aged 80

The study was based on an epidemiological model in which performing activities of daily living (ADL) was the dependent variable. Variation in performing was explained by physical and mental health, and by physical performance. The population consisted of all 80-year-old residents (N = 291) of the city of Jyväskylä in central Finland; 90% of them agreed to take part in the interviews at home, while 72% took part in the laboratory examinations to determine health status and functional capacity. Difficulties in at least some PADL (Physical Activities of Daily Living) tasks were reported by 86.5% of the men, and 87.2% of the women; none said they could perform all IADL (Instrumental Activities …

Self-Rated Health and Associated Factors Among Men of Different Ages

The connections of certain clinico-physiological indicators of health state, chronic diseases, felt symptoms, and psychic well-being with self-rated health were studied among men of different ages as a part of the more extensive research project Jyväskylä Studies on Functional Aging. Study population was selected by using systematic random sampling among men aged 31 to 35, 51 to 55 and 71 to 75 years in the city of Jyväskylä. Log-linear and logit models as well as regression and structural equation models within the framework of LISREL were used as methods of analysis. The associations between general self-rated health and the explanative variables were different in different age groups: In…

Unmet Physical Activity Need in Old Age

OBJECTIVES To examine which individual and environmental factors correlate with unmet physical activity need in old age and predict development of unmet physical activity need (the feeling that one's level of physical activity is inadequate and thus distinct from the recommended amount of physical activity) over a 2-year follow-up. DESIGN Observational prospective cohort study and cross-sectional analyses. SETTING Community and research center. PARTICIPANTS A total of 643 community-living ambulatory people aged 75 to 81 took part in face-to-face interviews and examinations at baseline and 314 at the 2-year follow-up. MEASUREMENTS Unmet physical activity need and its potential individual and…

Postural Sway During Standing and Unexpected Disturbance of Balance in Random Samples of Men of Different Ages

Postural sway behavior while standing and during and after an unexpected disturbance of balance was examined in men aged 31 to 35, 51 to 55, and 71 to 75 years. The groups studied were random samples of men living in the town of Jyväskylä in 1981. Postural sway while standing was more pronounced in the older age groups, whereas after a disturbance of balance postural sway was nearly the same in all age groups. The functioning of the postural control system was correlated with the vibratory threshold on the ankles, grip strength, as well as with aerobic and anaerobic capacity within the age groups. Further, in the youngest age group the functioning of the postural control system was poorer a…

Connective tissue of “fast” and “slow” skeletal muscle in rats…effects of endurance training

The connective tissue of two skeletal muscles having different contractile properties was investigated in trained and untrained rats. The animals to be trained were put to run on a treadmill 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The "slow" m. soleus (MS) showed higher malate dehydrogenase activity but lower lactate dehydrogenase activity compared to the "fast" m. rectus femoris (MRF). When whole muscles were taken into account, the concentrations of both hydroxyproline and hexosamines were higher for MS compared to MRF. In the middle section of MS there were more hexosamines than in that of MRF, but no similar difference existed in hydroxyproline. The histochemical staining of collagen, however, sugge…

Endogenous Hormones, Muscle Strength, and Risk of Fall-Related Fractures in Older Women

Background. Among older people, fracture-causing fall often leads to health deterioration. The role of endogenous hormone status and muscle strength on fall-related fracture risk is unclear. This study investigates if, after adjustment for bone density, endogenous hormones and muscle strength would predict fall-related limb fracture incidence in older community-dwelling women followed-up over 10 years. Methods. As a part of a prospective population-based study, 187 75-year-old women were investigated. Serum estradiol, testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations were analyzed, and isometric muscle strength and bone mineral density were assess…

Bone mineral density in relation to anthropometric properties, physical activity and smoking in 75-year-old men and women

Bone mineral content (BMC, gem−2) and density (BMD, gem−3) were studied in 75-year-old men and women in relation to anthropometric and certain life-style factors. This study covered all the men and women born in 1914 who were residents in the city of Jyvaskyla in 1989 (N=388). A hundred and three men and 188 women participated in bone measurements performed at the calcaneus using a 125I-photon absorption method. BMC was on average 36% and BMD 17% higher in the men than in the women. BMC and BMD associated with body mass in both sexes, and with body fat and use of estrogen in the women. There was a negative correlation between the BMD values and the number of cigarettes smoked over the entir…

Fall-related injuries among initially 75- and 80-year old people during a 10-year follow-up.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, type, scene and seasonal variation of fall related injuries, and the impact of socio-economic factors, mobility limitation, and the most common diseases on the risk of injurious falls over a 10-year follow-up. Elderly residents of Jyvaskyla, Finland, aged initially 75 and 80 years, took part in the study in 1989-1990. The health and functional capacity assessments were carried out at the baseline. Injurious falls were monitored over a 10-year period. The rate of injurious falls per thousand person-years was 188 among women and 78 among men. Of all fall-related diagnoses, head injuries comprised 32%, upper limb injuries 27% and hip inj…

Mobility performance and its sensory, psychomotor and musculoskeletal determinants from age 75 to age 80.

Background and aims: Prospective studies on the simultaneous effects of multiple determinants on objectively assessed mobility are few. The aim of this study was to analyse mobility performance, its stability and sensory, psychomotor and musculoskeletal determinants in an older population from age 75 to age 80. Methods: Sixty-three men and 121 women aged 75 participated at baseline and, five years later, in the follow-up phase of this population-based prospective study. Maximal walking speed and step-mounting height were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Maximal isometric knee extension strength, standing balance on force platform, reaction time, visual acuity and limitations in range of …