Association between 6-minute walk test and moderate to vigorous physical activity level in older adults

Background: A decrease in the physical activity level in old age is common, which results in an increase in the number of falls and chronic conditions. Associated with that occurs the decline in motor skills as a result of the deficit in the interaction of cognitive and motor processes. Physical activity level can be associated differently with each motor domains. Objective: We analyzed the relationship between physical activity level and motor aptitude, and to identify which motor domains were most sensitive to detect insufficiently active level in older adults. Methods: Participated in the study 385 elderly people of both sexes. For the evaluation of the subjects were adopted the International Questionnaire on Physical Activity and the Motor Scale for Older Adults. Results: The majority of the elderly were active. In the comparison of motor aptitude between active and insufficiently active (IAC) elders a significant difference was found in the Global Coordination, Balance, Body Scheme and General Motor Aptitude. From the analysis of the area under the curve (AUC), we verified that these domains also were the ones that presented adequate diagnostic accuracy to identify IAC elderly. Besides that active elderly have presented the General Motor Aptitude classified within normality while the IAC below the normal. Conclusion: Our data suggest that IAC older adults present lower motor aptitude than the active elderly, especially in the domains of Global Coordination, Balance, Body Scheme and General Motor Aptitude, and that these domains were sensitive to indicate IAC older adults.

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Nutritional status and physical activity level predict Timed Up and Go performance in Irish older adults

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s002966512100015x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (OCE1) ◽

Author(s):

M.L. O'Connell ◽

T. Coppinger ◽

J. Walton ◽

A.L. McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Physical Activity Level ◽

Activity Level ◽

Timed Up And Go

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Effects of Sex and Physical Activity Level on Serum Biomarker-Based Physiological Dysregulation: The Impact to Predict Frailty and Mortality in the Quebec NuAge Cohort

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000514169 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Ahmed Ghachem ◽

Frédérik Dufour ◽

Tamas Fülöp ◽

Pierrette Gaudreau ◽

Alan A. Cohen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Kidney Function ◽

Oxygen Transport ◽

Physical Activity Level ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

Activity Level ◽

Men And Women ◽

Physiological Dysregulation ◽

The Impact

Background: Age-related changes in biological processes such as physiological dysregulation (the progressive loss of homeostatic capacity) vary considerably among older adults and may influence health profiles in late life. These differences could be related, at least in part, to the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as sex and physical activity level (PAL). Objectives: The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the magnitude and rate of changes in physiological dysregulation in men and women according to PAL and (2) to determine whether/how sex and PAL mediate the apparent influence of physiological dysregulation on health outcomes (frailty and mortality). Methods: We used data on 1,754 community-dwelling older adults (age = 74.4 ± 4.2 years; women = 52.4%) of the Quebec NuAge cohort study. Physiological dysregulation was calculated based on Mahalanobis distance of 31 biomarkers regrouped into 5 systems: oxygen transport, liver/kidney function, leukopoiesis, micronutrients, and lipids. Results: As expected, mean physiological dysregulation significantly increased with age while PAL decreased. For the same age and PAL, men showed higher levels of physiological dysregulation globally in 3 systems: oxygen transport, liver/kidney function, and leukopoiesis. Men also showed faster global physiological dysregulation in the liver/kidney and leukopoiesis systems. Overall, high PAL was associated with lower level and slower rate of change of physiological dysregulation. Finally, while mortality and frailty risk significantly increased with physiological dysregulation, there was no evidence for differences in these effects between sexes and PAL. Conclusion: Our results showed that both sex and PAL have a significant effect on physiological dysregulation levels and rates of change. Also, although a higher PAL was associated with lower level and slower rate of change of physiological dysregulation, there was no evidence that PAL attenuates the effect of physiological dysregulation on subsequent declines in health at the end of life. Substantial work remains to understand how modifiable behaviors impact the relationship between physiological dysregulation, frailty, and mortality in men and women.

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The Relations Between Physical Activity Level, Executive Function, and White Matter Microstructure in Older Adults

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2021-0012 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Marissa A. Gogniat ◽

Catherine M. Mewborn ◽

Talia L. Robinson ◽

Kharine R. Jean ◽

L. Stephen Miller

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Executive Function ◽

White Matter ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

Activity Level ◽

Average Intensity ◽

Age Related

The population of older adults is increasing, indicating a need to examine factors that may prevent or mitigate age-related cognitive decline. The current study examined whether microstructural white matter characteristics mediated the relation between physical activity and executive function in older adults without any self-reported psychiatric and neurological disorders or cognitive impairment (N = 43, mean age = 73 y). Physical activity was measured by average intensity and number of steps via accelerometry. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to examine microstructural white matter characteristics, and neuropsychological testing was used to examine executive functioning. Parallel mediation models were analyzed using microstructural white matter regions of interest as mediators of the association between physical activity and executive function. Results indicated that average steps was significantly related to executive function (β = 0.0003, t = 2.829, P = .007), while moderate to vigorous physical activity was not (β = 0.0007, t = 1.772, P = .08). White matter metrics did not mediate any associations. This suggests that microstructural white matter characteristics alone may not be the mechanism by which physical activity impacts executive function in aging.

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Changes in Objectively Measured Lifestyle Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

10.21203/rs.3.rs-847301/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Takuya Ataka ◽

Noriyuki Kimura ◽

Atsuko Eguchi ◽

Etsuro Matsubara

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Wearable Sensors ◽

Lifestyle Factors ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Activity Level ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background: In this manuscript, we aimed at investigating whether objectively measured lifestyle factors, including walking steps, sedentary time, amount of unforced physical activity, level of slight and energetic physical activity, conversation time, and sleep parameters altered before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among community-dwelling older adults.Methods: Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study conducted from 2015 to 2019 and a subsequent dementia prevention study undertaken in September 2020. Community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years wore wearable sensors before and during the pandemic.Results: A total of 56 adults were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 74.2±3.9 years, and 58.9% (n=33) of the participants were female. The moderate and vigorous physical activity time significantly decreased and sedentary time significantly increased during the pandemic. Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate differences in objectively assessed lifestyle factors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among community-dwelling older adults. The findings show that the pandemic has adversely affected physical activity among older adults living on their own in Japan.

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