scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF THE NUTRITION AND FUNCTIONALITY ASSESSMENT (NFA) AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN JAPAN

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Y. OKUBO ◽  
M. NEMOTO ◽  
Y. OSUKA ◽  
S. JUNG ◽  
S. SEINO ◽  
...  

Objective: Develop and evaluate the feasibility and validity of the Nutrition and Functionality Assessment (NFA) which identifies “target” older adults who could benefit from a personalized program following evaluation of their nutrition status and physical functionality. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Community and geriatric day-care centers and university in Japan. Participants: 267 older adults aged 65-90. Measurements: The “target” individuals were screened based on gait speed (0.6-1.5 m/s). Nutrition (Mini Nutrition Assessment-short form and protein intake), strength (30s chair sit-to-stand and hand-grip strength) and endurance (6-minute walk) were assessed. Physical activity was monitored using a tri-axil accelerometer for a week. Fried frailty phenotype was also assessed. Results: Out of 267 individuals, 185 (69%) had gait speed between 0.6-1.5 m/s, corresponding to our “target” group from which, 184 (95%) completed the nutrition and physical functionality assessments with the physical activity monitoring. The NFA was completed in approximately 30 minutes. No adverse events directly due to the NFA were reported. NFA physical functionality and global scores were significantly related to frailty phenotype but nutrition score was not related to frailty phenotype. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the NFA is a safe and feasible tool to screen target older adults and simultaneously evaluate their nutritional status and physical functionality. Validity of the NFA was partially confirmed by the significant association of the global and physical functionality scores with frailty phenotype. More studies are required to validate and maximize the applicability of the NFA in communities and institutions in Japan and elsewhere.

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 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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kousuke Iwai-Saito ◽  
Yugo Shobugawa ◽  
Jun Aida ◽  
Katsunori Kondo

AbstractPneumonia is a leading cause of mortality among older adults worldwide. Recently, several studies reported that frailty was associated with mortality among older adults hospitalized due to respiratory infectious diseases, including pneumonia. However, it is unknown whether frailty is associated with susceptibility to and severity of pneumonia in functionally-independent community-dwelling older adults. In this study, we examined whether frailty increased the susceptibility to pneumonia and hospitalization in older adults. We used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study; the data was collected by using mail-based, self-reported questionnaires from 177,991 functionally-independent community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 65 years. Our results showed that frailty was significantly associated with both occurrence of and hospitalization due to pneumonia after adjustments with covariates; (Preference ratio {PR} 1.92, 95% confidence interval {95% CI} [1.66–2.22] and PR 1.80, 95% CI [1.42–2.28], respectively, p < 0.001 for the both). Pre-frailty was associated only with the occurrence of pneumonia. Besides, the instrumental activity of daily living, physical strength, nutrition status, oral function, homeboundness, and depression status in frail older adults were associated with either or both occurrence of and hospitalization due to pneumonia. Our results suggest that frailty influenced the susceptibility to and severity of pneumonia in older adults.


2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniella Pires Nunes ◽  
Yeda Aparecida de Oliveira Duarte ◽  
Jair Lício Ferreira Santos ◽  
Maria Lúcia Lebrão

OBJECTIVE To validate a screening instrument using self-reported assessment of frailty syndrome in older adults.METHODS This cross-sectional study used data from the Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento study conducted in Sao Paulo, SP, Southeastern Brazil. The sample consisted of 433 older adult individuals (≥ 75 years) assessed in 2009. The self-reported instrument can be applied to older adults or their proxy respondents and consists of dichotomous questions directly related to each component of the frailty phenotype, which is considered the gold standard model: unintentional weight loss, fatigue, low physical activity, decreased physical strength, and decreased walking speed. The same classification proposed in the phenotype was utilized: not frail (no component identified); pre-frail (presence of one or two components), and frail (presence of three or more components). Because this is a screening instrument, “process of frailty” was included as a category (pre-frail and frail). Cronbach’s α was used in psychometric analysis to evaluate the reliability and validity of the criterion, the sensitivity, the specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values. Factor analysis was used to assess the suitability of the proposed number of components.RESULTS Decreased walking speed and decreased physical strength showed good internal consistency (α = 0.77 and 0.72, respectively); however, low physical activity was less satisfactory (α = 0.63). The sensitivity and specificity for identifying pre-frail individuals were 89.7% and 24.3%, respectively, while those for identifying frail individuals were 63.2% and 71.6%, respectively. In addition, 89.7% of the individuals from both the evaluations were identified in the “process of frailty” category.CONCLUSIONS The self-reported assessment of frailty can identify the syndrome among older adults and can be used as a screening tool. Its advantages include simplicity, rapidity, low cost, and ability to be used by different professionals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Md Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Dongxiao Gu ◽  
Changyong Liang ◽  
Rao Muhammad Rashid ◽  
Monira Akter

Background. Although physical activity (PA) is a noninvasive and cost-effective method of improving the quality of health, global statistics show that only a few middle-aged and older adults engage in the recommended PAs. This is due to a lack of motivation and companionship. Objective. This study analyses the attitudes and self-determined motivation of Chinese middle-aged and older adults for PAs and their eagerness to participate in PAs such as sports, exercise, and recreational and cultural activities (RCAs), from attitudinal, eagerness, and motivational objectives of PAs perspective. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 840 middle-aged (35–54 years) and older adults (55+ years). To determine their attitude, eagerness, and self-determined motivation for PA, we used attitudinal, Eagerness for Physical Activity Scale (EPAS), and Situational Motivational Scale (SIMS). The data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0. Results. The results show that 39.1% of the participants were not satisfied with PAs. Compared with females, males reported a less positive attitude towards PAs. Moreover, a positive attitude decreases with age. Participants’ motivation and eagerness in activities such as RCAs, exercise, and sports are decreasing. Regarding self-determined motivation, there are gender differences in RCAs, but there is none for exercise and sports participation. Conclusion. The findings show the importance of RCAs and the support of family and friends enhancing the eagerness, attitude, and motivation to participate in PAs. Furthermore, the findings can help to create more effective PA programs for middle-aged and older adults. By engaging in RCAs, participants can reap the benefits of PAs. Participating in RCAs can lead to social equity in health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Jenkin ◽  
Jannique G. Z. van Uffelen ◽  
Grant O'Sullivan ◽  
Jack Harvey ◽  
Rochelle M. Eime ◽  
...  

Community sport is seen as a suitable setting for physical activity for different population groups. Older adults (aged 50+ years) are a rapidly growing population group. Physical activity is critical for healthy ageing, however sport participation rates for older adults are very low. The aim of this study was to investigate how sporting organisations perceive sport for older adults. This cross-sectional study surveyed 171 representatives from Australian National and State Sporting Organisations. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the results and the three sporting organisation categories' (high, medium, and low participation) responses were compared using non-parametric statistics. Contextualised in the perspective of organisational change, a framework for marketing to the ageing consumer was used to interpret the results. Older adults are not a high priority group for most sporting organisations, however the benefits of engaging older adults were recognised, particularly in context of increasing participation numbers. A lack of age-appropriate programmes was perceived to be a major barrier of engaging older adults. This lack of programmes stems from older adults being deemed as a less attractive segment than other age groups for sporting organisations. Modifications that sports felt they could make to attract and/or retain older adults included specific marketing and age appropriate opportunities. There was widespread consensus across sporting organisations, suggesting that perceptions of older adult sport participation were comparable across the sector, such as increasing participation numbers and engaging their older fan base. In the context of attracting, and retaining, older adults in sport clubs, it was concluded that most sporting organisations are not (yet) ready to build “age friendly” sporting environments. There is very limited literature on the organisational perspective of older adults and sport, meaning this study is unique in the field. Although sport policy encourages organisations to grow their participation, most organisations do not actively and strategically engage older adults. This research provides an understanding of why this untapped market is not a priority target and provides comprehensive insights for policy makers to better engage with this population group.


Author(s):  
Carlos M. Arango-Paternina ◽  
Jhon F. Ramírez-Villada ◽  
Annie A. Tibaduiza-Romero ◽  
Leonardo Rodríguez-Perdomo

The identification of social network factors associated with gait speed may offer different perspectives for improving community and clinical interventions for older adults. The objective of this study was to explore the associations of the social network of friends with gait speed. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a sample of 128 older adult women recruited in community groups of physical activity. Clinical screening, social network questions, body composition evaluation, and gait speed test were applied to the participants. Logistic regression models were used to analyze associations between characteristics of the social network of friends and high gait speed. Findings indicated that social isolation was not associated with high gait speed and that popularity and proportion of friends with high gait speed were significantly associated with high gait speed. Findings suggested that there was a relationship between social network factors and the ability to perform high gait speed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jair Sindra Virtuoso Júnior ◽  
Sheilla Tribess ◽  
Thais Reis Silva De Paulo ◽  
Cristiane Alves Martins ◽  
Vicente Romo-Perez

To analyze the time spent on physical activity in female and male individuals as a predictor of the absence of functional disability in older adults, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 624 individuals. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves (ROC) were constructed and compared to areas of physical activity by gender and the absence of functional disability. We identified cutoffs of physical activity (minutes / week) to predict the absence of functional disability (CI 95%). It was found that there is a higher area under the ROC curve for the time spent on physical activities in females. It was observed that 280 minutes / week (women) or 410 minutes / week (men) were the best cutoff points for predicting the absence of functional disability. Time spent on physical activity practices can serve as an important indicator to sort priority groups for certain interventions.


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.


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