Search results for "WALKING"

2020

Abstract Background To examine longitudinal changes in physical performance during the menopausal transition and the role of physical activity (PA) in these changes. Methods Based on follicle-stimulating hormone levels and bleeding diaries, women (47–55 years) were classified as early (n = 89) and late perimenopausal (n = 143) and followed prospectively until postmenopausal status, with mean duration of 17.5 and 13.8 months, respectively. Physical performance was measured by handgrip force, knee extension torque, vertical jumping height, maximal walking speed, and 6-minute walking distance. Physical activity was self-reported and categorized as inactive, low, medium, and high. Longitudinal …

Body Fat and Mobility Are Explained by Common Genetic and Environmental Influences in Older Women

2008

In older adults, mobility limitations often coexist with overweight or obesity, suggesting that similar factors may underlie both traits. This study examined the extent to which genetic and environmental influences explain the association between adiposity and mobility in older women. Body fat percentage (bioimpedance test), walking speed over 10 m, and distance walked in a 6-min test were evaluated in 92 monozygotic (MZ) and 104 dizygotic (DZ) pairs of twin sisters reared together, aged 63-76 years. Genetic and environmental influences on each trait were estimated using age-adjusted multivariate genetic modeling. The analyses showed that the means (and s.d.) for body fat percentage, walkin…

Electrocardiographic and other clinical correlates of walking ability in older women

2009

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how resting electrocardiographic (ECG) and other clinical variables, which can be included in a routine clinical examination, predict walking ability in older women. Three hundred and twenty women (63–75 years) without overt cardiac diseases and apparent mobility limitations were studied. Measurements performed were clinical examination (standard 12-lead resting ECG, assessment of physical activity level, presence of chronic diseases, use of beta-blockers, body mass index (BMI), ability to squat, resting blood pressure) and six-minute walking test. Participants walked 533 ± 75 m in the six-minute walking test. The best electrocardiographic p…

Physical Function and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults Diagnosed With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

2020

Abstract Background Physical function is an independent predictor of numerous chronic diseases, but its association with all-cause mortality in older adults diagnosed with cancer has received little attention. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prospective association between physical function and all-cause mortality in older adults diagnosed with cancer. Methods Two authors systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus databases. Prospective studies reporting associations of baseline physical function with all-cause mortality in patients aged 60 years or older diagnosed with any type of cancer were included. Hazard ratios (HR) with …

Contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in maximal walking speed with and without second task in older women

2005

Background. Among older people, distraction while walking may increase the risk of falls. Factors underlying individual differences in dual tasking are not fully understood. Our aim was to study the effect of a second task on maximal walking speed and to examine whether individual differences in walking speed measured with and without a second task are accounted for by genetic and environmental influences shared across tasks or specific to each task. Methods. The data were collected from the 101 monozygotic and 116 dizygotic twin pairs aged 63–76 years recruited from the Finnish Twin Cohort. Maximal walking speed (MWS) over 10 m was measured on a laboratory corridor and timed with photocell…

Quantifying Dynamic Balance in Young, Elderly and Parkinson's Individuals: A Systematic Review

2018

Introduction: Falling is one of the primary concerns for people with Parkinson's Disease and occurs predominately during dynamic movements, such as walking. Several methods have been proposed to quantify dynamic balance and to assess fall risk. However, no consensus has been reached concerning which method is most appropriate for examining walking balance during unperturbed and perturbed conditions, particularly in Parkinson's Disease individuals. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to assess the current literature on quantifying dynamic balance in healthy young, elderly and Parkinson's individuals during unperturbed and perturbed walking. Methods: The PubMed database was searched by ti…

Physical Activity Scaled to Preferred Walking Speed as a Predictor of Walking Difficulty in Older Adults: A 2-Year Follow-up

2021

Abstract Background The usual accelerometry-based measures of physical activity (PA) are dependent on physical performance. We investigated the associations between PA relative to walking performance and the prevalence and incidence of early and advanced walking difficulties compared to generally used measures of PA. Methods Perceived walking difficulty was evaluated in 994 community-dwelling participants at baseline (age 75, 80, or 85 years) and 2 years later over 2 km (early difficulty) and 500 m (advanced difficulty). We used a thigh-mounted accelerometer to assess moderate-to-vigorous PA, daily mean acceleration, and relative PA as movement beyond the intensity of preferred walking spee…

Effects of strength and endurance training on isometric muscle strength and walking speed in elderly women

1996

The separate effects of 18 weeks of intensive strength and endurance training on isometric knee extension (KE) and flexion (KF) strength and walking speed were studied in 76- to 78- year-old women. Maximal voluntary isometric force for both KE and KF was measured in a sitting position on a custom-made dynamometer chair at a knee angle of 60 degrees from full extension. Maximal walking speed was measured over a distance of 10 m. The endurance-trained women increased KE torque and KE torque/body mass after the first 9 weeks of training when compared with the controls. when comparing the baseline, 9 week and 18 week measurements within the groups separately, both the endurance- and strength-tr…

Coimpairments as Predictors of Severe Walking Disability in Older Women

2001

OBJECTIVE: Severe disabilities are common among older people who have impairments in a range of physiologic systems. It is not known, however, whether the presence of multiple impairments, or coimpairments, is associated with increased risk of developing new disability. The aim of this study was to determine the combined effects of two impairments, decreased knee-extension strength and poor standing balance, on the risk of developing severe walking disability among older, moderately-to-severely disabled women who did not have severe walking disability at baseline. DESIGN: The Women's Health and Aging Study is a 3-year prospective study with 6 semi-annual follow-up data-collection rounds fol…

Ankle and knee extensor muscle effort during locomotion in young and older athletes : Implications for understanding age-related locomotor decline

2019

AbstractAge-related reduction in muscle force generation capacity is similarly evident across different lower limb muscle groups, yet decline in locomotor performance with age has been shown to depend primarily on reduced ankle extensor muscle function. To better understand why ageing has the largest detrimental effect on ankle joint function during locomotion, we examined maximal ankle and knee extensor force development during a two-leg hopping test in older and young men, and used these forces as a reference to calculate relative operating efforts for the knee and ankle extensors as participants walked, ran and sprinted. We found that, across locomotion modes in both age groups, ankle ex…