scholarly journals Visual Acuity’s Association With Levels of Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W. Swanson ◽  
Eric Bodner ◽  
Patricia Sawyer ◽  
Richard M. Allman

Little is known about the effect of reduced vision on physical activity in older adults. This study evaluates the association of visual acuity level, self-reported vision, and ocular disease conditions with leisure-time physical activity and calculated caloric expenditure. A cross-sectional study of 911 subjects 65 yr and older from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging (SOA) cohort was conducted evaluating the association of vision-related variables to weekly kilocalorie expenditure calculated from the 17-item Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. Ordinal logistic regression was used to evaluate possible associations while controlling for potential confounders. In multivariate analyses, each lower step in visual acuity below 20/50 was significantly associated with reduced odds of having a higher level of physical activity, OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.67, 0.97. Reduced visual acuity appears to be independently associated with lower levels of physical activity among community-dwelling adults.

Author(s):  
Gallardo-Alfaro ◽  
Bibiloni ◽  
Mateos ◽  
Ugarriza ◽  
Tur

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus type 2 which may be reduced by practicing regular physical activity. Objective: To assess the leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) of older adults with MetS and without MetS. Methods: Cross-sectional study of older adults (55–80 years old) from Balearic Islands (Spain) with MetS (n = 333; 55% men) and without MetS (n = 144; 43.8% men). LTPA was assessed with the validated Spanish version of the Minnesota LTPA Questionnaire. Two criteria of physically active were used: >150 min/week of moderate physical activity or >75 min/week of vigorous physical activity or a combination of both, and total leisure-time energy expenditure of >300 MET·min/day. Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, anthropometric variables, MetS components, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) were also measured. Results: MetS subjects showed lower energy expenditure in LTPA, lower adherence to the MD, higher obesity and waist circumference, and were less active than non-MetS peers. LTPA increased as participants got older and there was higher LTPA intensity as educational level increased. Adherence to MD was as high as LTPA was. Conclusions: MetS is associated with physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. To increase LTPA recommendations and raise awareness in the population about the health benefits of PA and high adherence to MD is highly recommended.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 030006052095689
Author(s):  
Saad M. Bindawas ◽  
Vishal Vennu ◽  
Ayidh M. Alqarni ◽  
Tariq A. Abdulrahman

Objective To assess physical performance (PP) and physical activity (PA) among older adults visiting primary healthcare centres (PHCCs) in Riyadh. Methods In this cross-sectional study, men and women (n = 74) aged ≥60 years were recruited from five PHCCs across Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 19 February and 6 August 2017. The Timed Up & Go test was used to assess PP. Self-reported PA was assessed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Means and standard deviations were used to describe PP and PA scores across genders. A two-tailed independent samples t-test was used to estimate mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between genders. Results Men scored significantly lower than women on PP (MD: 2.11, 95% CI: 0.59 to 3.64) and PA (MD: −46.1, 95% CI: −80.96 to −11.25). Significant gender differences were observed for leisure time activities (MD: 17.35, 95% CI: 3.29 to 31.40), light household activities (MD: –10.86, 95% CI: –16.19 to –5.53) and heavy household activities (MD: –6.48, 95% CI: –11.73 to –1.23). Conclusions Men show significantly lower PP and PA than women. There are gender differences in leisure time activities and in light and heavy household activities.


2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Y. Martin ◽  
M. Paige Powell ◽  
Claire Peel ◽  
Sha Zhu ◽  
Richard Allman

This study examined whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was associated with health-care utilization in a racially diverse sample of rural and urban older adults. Community-dwelling adults (N= 1,000, 75.32 ± 6.72 years old) self-reported participating in LTPA and their use of the health-care system (physician visits, number and length of hospitalizations, and emergency-room visits). After controlling for variables associated with health and health-care utilization, older adults who reported lower levels of LTPA also reported a greater number of nights in the hospital in the preceding year. There was no support, however, for a relationship between LTPA and the other indicators of health-care utilization. Our findings suggest that being physically active might translate to a quicker recovery for older adults who are hospitalized. Being physically active might not only have health benefits for older persons but also lead to lower health-care costs.


Author(s):  
Marcel Ballin ◽  
Peter Nordström ◽  
Anna Nordström

In this cross-sectional study, the authors investigated the associations of objectively measured physical activity (PA) with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in older adults. Accelerometer-derived light-intensity PA, moderate to vigorous PA, and steps per day were measured in (N = 4,652) 70-year-olds in Umeå, Sweden, during May 2012–November 2019. The MetS was assessed according to the American Heart Association/ National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute criteria. The prevalence of MetS was 49.3%. Compared with the reference, the odds ratios for MetS in increasing quartiles of light-intensity PA were 0.91 (0.77–1.09), 0.75 (0.62–0.89), and 0.66 (0.54–0.80). For moderate to vigorous PA, the corresponding odds ratios were 0.79 (0.66–0.94), 0.67 (0.56–0.80), and 0.56 (0.46–0.67). For steps per day, the odds ratios were 0.65 (0.55–0.78), 0.55 (0.46–0.65), and 0.45 (0.36–0.55). In summary, this study shows that greater amounts of PA, regardless of intensity, are associated with lower odds of MetS. With the limitation of being an observational study, these findings may have implications for the prevention of MetS in older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1771-1771
Author(s):  
Yun Wang ◽  
Yi-Fei Ouyang ◽  
Xiao-Fang Jia ◽  
Bing Zhang ◽  
Zhihong Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Evidence that sedentary behaviors were correlated with unhealthy diet and physical activity were mostly among children and adolescents, but still limited for adults. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between screen-based leisure-time sedentary behaviors (LTSB) including television time and computer time with unhealthy dietary behaviors, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among Chinese adults. Methods Participants (n = 10,108, aged 18–59 years) from a recent cross-sectional study of CHNS (China Health and Nutrition Survey) conducted in 2015 were analyzed. Time spent in LTSB and LTPA were collected from questionnaire. Unhealthy dietary behaviors were collected from three consecutive 24-hour food recalls and the food frequency method. Multivariable logistic regression models were produced to study the odds ratios for unhealthy dietary behaviors and LTPA as the function of the quintile of LTSB. Results Versus the lowest quartile, the OR(95%CI) of the highest quintile of computer time for insufficient vegetable intake (< 300 g/d) was 1.4(1.0,2.0) for male and 1.5(1.1,2.2) for female; the OR(95%CI) for excessive snack intake (≥1 time/day) was 1.6(1.0,2.3) for male and 1.7(1.3,2.4) for female; the OR(95%CI) for excessive western fast food intake (≥1 time/week) was 2.4(1.2,4.4) for male and 2.7(1.4,4.9) for female. The OR(95%CI) of the highest quintile of television time for no LTPA group (0 Mets.h/w) was 1.8(1.3,2.6) for male and 1.5(1.1,2.0) for female; the OR(95%CI) for sufficient LTPA group (≥8 Mets.h/w) was 0.5(0.4,0.8) for male and 0.7(0.5,0.9) for female. The OR(95%CI) of the highest quintile of computer time for no LTPA group (0 Mets.h/w) was 0.4(0.3,0.6) for male and 0.5(0.4,0.7) for female; the OR(95%CI) for sufficient LTPA (≥8 Mets.h/w) group was 2.4(1.7,3.3) for male and was 2.1(1.5,2.9) for female. Conclusions LTSB were associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors and mixed LTPA among Chinese adults. The patterns of “Television time-less LTPA” and “Computer time-unhealthy diet-more LTPA” for Chinese adults were principal associations. Our findings suggest the need for different behavior preventive intervention on different types of screen-based LTSB among Chinese adults. Funding Sources The survey received funding from NIH and from Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 580-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Aranda-García ◽  
Albert Busquets ◽  
Antoni Planas ◽  
Joan A. Prat-Subirana ◽  
Rosa M. Angulo-Barroso

Purpose:Gait speed is related to physical function in older adults. This cross-sectional study examined the best predictors of maximal gait speed (MGS) among physical abilities, and general factors in healthy, rural community-dwelling older adults.Methods:MGS, muscle strength, and postural sway were measured in 55 community-dwelling participants (age, 72.1 ± 6.8, range 61–87 years; 72.7% women). Two stepwise regressions were used to find MGS predictors in two models: physical abilities and global.Results:Strength of knee extensors with 60° of knee flexion (KStrength60°) and maximal distance in the anterior-posterior direction with eyes closed explained 50.2% of MGS variance (p < .05) in the physical abilities model. KStrength60°, age, and level of physical activity explained 63.9% of MGS variance (p < .05) in the global model.Conclusions:Regardless of the model, KStrength60° was the best predictor of MGS in rural female older adults. Future research should examine the generalization of these findings to rural male older adults.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Deplanque ◽  
Isabelle Masse ◽  
Christian Libersa ◽  
Didier Leys ◽  
Régis Bordet

In the present subanalysis of a cross-sectional study showing the favorable effect of prior transient ischemia, leisure-time physical activity, and lipid-lowering drug therapy on stroke severity, we aimed to evaluate whether previous physical activity was dose dependently associated to minor stroke (NIHSS 0–3) and to identify possible underlying factors. Among 362 consecutive patients, less severe stroke was related to weekly exercise duration prior to stroke (no exercise: 36.1%; <2 hours: 49.3%; 2–5 hours: 58.8%; >5 hours: 64.0%; ). Only weak and moderate exercise practices were protective (weak: 50.0%; moderate: 79.3%; heavy: 22.2%; ). Such a beneficial effect was observed independently of age and was associated with a trend to a lower frequency of arterial hypertension, alcohol abuse, and a better metabolic profile. Besides other therapeutic approaches, physical activity may be a simple way to decrease cerebral ischemia severity.


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