Search results for "Human Factors"

Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study

2017

BackgroundMobile phone apps for monitoring and promoting physical activity (PA) are extremely popular among adults. Devices, such as heart rate monitors or sports watches (HRMs/SWs) that work with these apps are at sufficiently low costs to be available through the commercial markets. Studies have reported an increase in PA levels among adults with devices; however, it is unknown whether the phenomena are similar during early adolescence. At a time when adolescents start to develop their own sense of independence and build friendship, the ease of smartphone availability in developed countries needs to be investigated in important health promoting behaviors such as PA. ObjectiveThe objective…

Psychomotor speed in a random sample of 7,979 subjects aged 30 years and over.

2011

Background and aims: Slowing of psychomotor speed among older individuals has been shown in numerous studies. However, in most cases these studies were based on small and selected groups of people and, in some cases, the test procedures did not allow separation of decision time and motor components of the overall performance. The purpose of the present study was to analyse in a large, randomly selected population sample the differences in decision and movement times in simple and multiple-choice test conditions. The association of educational background with psychomotor speed was also examined. Methods: Data on psychomotor speed were collected from a representative nation-wide sample of the…

Strain of employees in the machine industry in Finland.

1978

In order to investigate the strain of workers in different occupations of the Finnish machine industry, energy expenditure and heart rate of 190 men and 47 women employees were measured during their normal course of work. Work was most strenuous in occupations in the early stages of production and in unskilled jobs. The relative strain of semi-skilled workers was highest in the oldest age groups, over 45 years. It is concluded that when systems for grading the strain of industrial work are constructed, the long-term effects of work and workers' characteristics such as age, sex, weight and physical fitness should be taken into consideration.

Promoting Mobility in Older People

2013

Out-of-home mobility is necessary for accessing commodities, making use of neighborhood facilities, and participation in meaningful social, cultural, and physical activities. Mobility also promotes healthy aging as it relates to the basic human need of physical movement. Mobility is typically assessed either with standardized performance-based tests or with self-reports of perceived difficulty in carrying out specific mobility tasks. Mobility declines with increasing age, and the most complex and demanding tasks are affected first. Sometimes people cope with declining functional capacity by making changes in their way or frequency of doing these tasks, thus avoiding facing manifest difficul…

How young Europeans sleep.

1993

This study investigated sleeping habits, difficulties in being able to fall asleep and their connections to self-reported health conditions, as well as other selected health behaviours and use of leisure time, among 11-16 year old Europeans from 11 countries. The study was part of a larger, comparative, WHO coordinated project on the health and life-style of school children (Health Behaviour of School Age Children--A WHO Cross-National Survey, The HBSC Study). In most of the countries, research data were collected from samples representative of the whole country. Using a standardized survey questionnaire, the data were collected anonymously in schools. Altogether 40,202 students responded t…

Improvement of gross motor and cognitive abilities by an exercise training program: three case reports

2014

Marianna Alesi,1 Giuseppe Battaglia,2 Michele Roccella,1 Davide Testa,1 Antonio Palma,2 Annamaria Pepi1 1Department of Psychology, 2Department of Law, Social and Sport Science, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy Background: This work examined the efficacy of an integrated exercise training program (coach and family) in three children with Down syndrome to improve their motor and cognitive abilities, in particular reaction time and working memory. Methods: The integrated exercise training program was used in three children with Down syndrome, comprising two boys (M1, with a chronological age of 10.3 years and a mental age of 4.7 years; M2, with a chronological age of 14.6 years and a ment…

Color memory in elderly adults

2006

Unmet Physical Activity Need in Old Age

2010

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…

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

2009

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…

Nature as a facilitator for physical activity : Defining relationships between the objective and perceived environment and physical activity among co…

2017

The aim was to study the correspondence between the objective and perceived environment and to assess their associations with physical activity (PA) in older people. 848 community-dwelling older people aged 75–90 were interviewed on their difficulties in walking 500 m, perceiving nature as a facilitator for outdoor mobility, and PA. The presence of water and landscape diversity were objectively assessed inside 500 m and 1000 m circular buffers around participants’ homes. Using logistic regression, participant data were analyzed together with the objectively assessed environmental features. Our results indicate that higher habitat diversity within natural areas correlates with higher PA amon…