Search results for "Walking"
showing 10 items of 443 documents
The effect of obesity combined with low muscle strength on decline in mobility in older persons: results from the InCHIANTI study.
2009
Both obesity and muscle impairment are increasingly prevalent among older persons and negatively affect health and physical functioning. However, the combined effect of coexisting obesity and muscle impairment on physical function decline has been little studied. We examined whether obese persons with low muscle strength experience significantly greater declines in walking speed and mobility than persons with only obesity or low muscle strength.Community-dwelling adults agedor = 65 years (n = 930) living in the Chianti geographic area (Tuscany, Italy) were followed for 6 years in the population-based InCHIANTI study.On the basis of baseline measurements (1998-2000), obesity was defined as b…
Self-Reported Hearing Status Is Associated with Lower Limb Physical Performance, Perceived Mobility, and Activities of Daily Living in Older Communit…
2015
BACKGROUND: Poor hearing is common in older adults and it may have negative consequences which extend beyond communication. OBJECTIVES: To explore the associations of self-reported hearing problems with physical performance and self-reported difficulties in mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study SETTING: Community PARTICIPANTS: 848 men and women aged 75-90 years MEASUREMENTS: Structured face-to-face interviews to assess perceived hearing problems in the presence of noise, mobility difficulties (moving indoors, stair-climbing, 0.5 km walk and 2 km walk) and difficulties in ADLs and instrumental ADLs. The Short Ph…
Not gendered… but different from each other? A structural equation model for explaining risky road behaviors of female and male pedestrians.
2020
Abstract As alternative transportation is getting more and more fashionable, and more people worldwide are "shifting" to walking trips, even for their daily commuting, traffic crashes suffered by pedestrians are still a great concern for road safety and public health researchers and practitioners. In this regard, risky or "aberrant" road behaviors have emerged, during the last few years, as a key issue to be considered for crash prevention. Nevertheless, the idea of a "generic pedestrian" is getting re-evaluated, and analyzing key features, such as gender, seems to be crucial for understanding pedestrians' performance and safety outcomes. Objective The objective of this study was to examine…
Gait asymmetry in patients with limb length discrepancy.
2004
Foot loading patterns and neuromuscular function of both limbs during walking were investigated on 25 patients with limb length discrepancy. Plantar pressures and 2-D ground reaction forces were recorded simultaneously with electromyographic activities at two different walking speeds. Bilateral comparison indicated that moderate limb length discrepancies resulted in asymmetrical gait patterns. The duration of the stance phase was reduced in the short limb in both walking speeds. The vertical ground reaction force (F) in the push-off phase was greater in the long limb both at normal (1.33 (SO, 0.05 BW) vs. 1.29 (SD, 0.09 BW)) (P=0.0027) and fast walking speed (1.55 (SD, 0.11) vs. 1.48 (SD, 0…
Associations between active commuting to school and objectively measured physical activity
2013
Background:To provide more accurate assessment of commuting behavior and potential health effect, it is important to have accurate methods. Therefore, the current study aimed to a) compare questionnaire reported mode of commuting with objectively measured data from accelerometer and cycle computer, b) compare moderate vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among children cycling vs. walking to school, and c) thus calculate possible underestimated MVPA, when using accelerometers to measure commuter cycling.Methods:A total of 78 children, average age 11.4 (SD = 0.5), participated in the study. Physical activity was measured with cycle computers and accelerometers for 4 days. Mode of commuting and …
Maximal isometric strength and mobility among 75-year-old men and women.
1994
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…
A Comparison of Objective Physical Performance Tests and Future Mortality in the Elderly People.
2017
Background: Physical performance is an important predictor of mortality, but little is known on the comparative prognostic utility of different objective physical performance tests in community-dwelling older adults. We compared the prognostic usefulness of several objective physical performance tests on mortality, adjusting our analyses for potential confounders. Methods: Among 3,099 older community-dwelling participants included in the Progetto Veneto Anziani study, 2,096 were followed for a mean of 4.4 years. Physical performance tests measured were Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 4-meter gait speed, chair stands time, leg extension and flexion, handgrip strength, and 6-Minute…
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…
Walking recovery after a hip fracture: A prospective follow-up study among community-dwelling over 60-year old men and women
2014
Purpose. Recovery of walking outdoors after hip fracture is important for equal participation in the community. The causes of poor recovery are not fully understood. This study investigates recovery of walking outdoors and associated determinants after hip fracture.Methods. A prospective follow-up study, among clinical sample of 81 community-dwelling hip fracture patients over 60 years. Perceived difficulty in walking outdoors and 500 meters was assessed before fracture, at discharge to home (3.2 ± 2.2 weeks after surgery), and on average 6.0 ± 3.3 weeks after discharge. Potential determinants for walking recovery were assessed. Linear latent trajectory model was used to analyse changes dur…
Achilles tendon length changes during walking in long-term diabetes patients
2010
Diabetes leads to numerous side effects, including an increased density of collagen fibrils and thickening of the Achilles tendon. This may increase tissue stiffness and could affect stretch distribution between muscle and tendinous tissues during walking. The primary aim of this study was to examine stretch distribution between muscle and tendinous tissues in the medial gastrocnemius muscle-tendon unit in long-term diabetes patients and control subjects during walking.Achilles tendon length changes were investigated in 13 non-neuropathic diabetes patients and 12 controls, whilst walking at a self selected speed across a 10 m force platform. Electromyographic activity was recorded in the me…