Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Obstacle Crossing In Healthy Young And Older Individuals, Hope M. Hanson, Ashlyn M. Jendro, Abigail C. Schmitt

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: In the United States, the average population age is rising and will continue to increase in the coming years.With an older population comes increased risk of injury associated with falls. Falls are considered a leading cause of injury and death in older individuals, and many falls are caused by body imbalance or obstacle collision due to a clearly visible stationary object (e.g., rug, chair, branch). Older adults tend to cross obstacles with increased toe clearance in order to prevent tripping, but much of what is known about obstacle crossing in older adults is limited to artificial obstacles that are …

A Mixed Methods Study On Levels Of Physical Activity And Degree Of Fear Of Falling In Older Adults, Oscar L. Garcia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Maintaining a physically active lifestyle has shown to decrease the risks of falling by slowing down the degenerative changes that occur with aging adults. But despite these physical changes, research has recognized the development of the fear of falling (FOF) as also attributing to the aging adults’ risk of falling. Furthermore, increases the risk of falling and subsequently increases the loss of independency. This study aimed to: 1) examine the relationships between the levels of physical activity, degree of FOF, and fall risk using quantitative approach; and 2) explore the changes of FOF and understand its cause using qualitative approach. …

Response Inhibition Deficits In Women With The Fmr1 Premutation Are Associated With Age And Fall Risk, Carly Moser, Lyndsay Schmitt, Joseph Schmidt, Amanda Fairchild, Jessica Klusek

Faculty Publications

One in 113-178 females worldwide carry a premutation allele on the FMR1 gene. The FMR1 premutation is linked to neurocognitive and neuromotor impairments, although the phenotype is not fully understood, particularly with respect to age effects. This study sought to define oculomotor response inhibition skills in women with the FMR1 premutation and their association with age and fall risk. We employed an antisaccade eye-tracking paradigm to index oculomotor inhibition skills in 35 women with the FMR1 premutation and 28 control women. The FMR1 premutation group exhibited longer antisaccade latency and reduced accuracy relative to controls, indicating deficient response inhibition skills. …

To Examine The Effects Of Exercise & Instructional Based Interventions On Executive Functioning, Motor Learning & Emotional Intelligence Abilities Among Older Adults, Lavanya Rajesh Kumar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Motor skills are a vital part of our life, and there might be situations where we will be required to either learn a new skill or relearn a known one. We examined the effectiveness of two different interventions - eccentric exercise and motivation-based instructions on enhancing the ability of older adults to learn a novel motor skill. Exercise intervention studies have shown that as little as 12 weeks of exercise can lead to improvements in both physical fitness and cognitive function in older adults, particularly executive control. But it is still unclear whether those improvements translate to improvements in other …

The Effects Of A Yoga Intervention On Reactive Balance In Older Adults, Haley M. Hayes

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Research into successful aging has shown that the ability to control balance is a key part of maintaining an independent lifestyle. Given the increased proportion of older adults in society, the development of effective strategies to promote successful aging are critical. One promising form of activity that could effectively sustain and/or improve balance in addition to other health markers is yoga. Although studies have been done showing yoga's benefits on mobility, mood and cognition the vast majority of these studies lack scientific rigor. The main purpose of this thesis project was to examine the efficacy of a 6-week yoga intervention …

The Impact Of Sarcopenic Obesity On Inflammation, Lean Body Mass, And Muscle Strength In Elderly Women, Dahan Da Cunha Nascimento, Samuel Da Cunha Oliveira, Denis Cesar Leite Vieira, Silvana Schwerz Funghetto, Alessandro Oliveira Silva, Renato Valduga, Brad J. Schoenfeld, Jonato Prestes

Publications and Research

Objective: The objective of this study was to apply the newly standardized definition for sarcopenia from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the current definition for obesity to 1) determine the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) in obese elderly women; 2) compare the muscle strength, lean body mass, and markers of inflammation between obese elderly women with SO and nonsarcopenic obesity (NSO), and 3) elucidate the relation- ship between appendicular lean mass adjusted for body mass index (aLM/BMI) with muscle strength, lean body mass, and obesity indices.

Methods: A total of 64 elderly obese women (age: …

The Phenomenology Of Masters Alpine Ski Racers: Experiencing Ski Racing In Old Age, Carly Litchfield

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a study of the lived experience of ten older adult alpine ski racers in their continued participation in ski racing. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of these older adults as they continued to compete in ski racing. Masters skiers between the ages of 69 and 82 participated in individual interviews lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. Data analysis was completed using van Manen’s phenomenological methods and the visual technique of mind mapping. The major theme that emerged was the importance of being a ski racer to participants’ identities. The …

Perceived Barriers, Benefits And Motives For Physical Activity: Two Primary-Care Physical Activity Prescription Programs, Asmita Patel, Grant M. Schofield, Gregory S. Kolt, Justin Keogh

Justin Keogh

This study examined whether perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity differed based on allocation to 2 different types of primary-care activity prescription programs (pedometer-based vs. time-based Green Prescription). Eighty participants from the Healthy Steps study completed a questionnaire that assessed their perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity. Factor analysis was carried out to identify common themes of barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity. Factor scores were then used to explore betweengroups differences for perceived barriers, benefits, and motives based on group allocation and demographic variables. No significant differences were found in factor scores based on …

Strength And Coordination Training Are Both Effective In Reducing The Postural Tremor Amplitude Of Older Adults, Justin W.L. Keogh, Steve Morrison, Rod Barrett

Justin Keogh

The current study investigated the effect of 2 different types of unilateral resistance training on the postural tremor output of 19 neurologically healthy men age 70–80 yr. The strength- (n = 7) and coordination-training (n = 7) groups trained twice a week for 6 wk, performing dumbbell biceps curls, wrist flexions, and wrist extensions, while the control group (n = 5) maintained their normal activities. Changes in index-finger tremor (RMS amplitude, peak, and proportional power) and upper limb muscle coactivation were assessed during 4 postural conditions that were performed separately with the trained and untrained limbs. The 2 training groups …

Age Disparities In Stroke Quality Of Care And Delivery Of Health Services., Gustavo Saposnik

Gustavo Saposnik

No abstract provided.

Do All Age Groups Benefit From Organized Inpatient Stroke Care?, Gustavo Saposnik

Gustavo Saposnik

No abstract provided.

Clinical Educators' Reactions To Ageing, Anne Mandy, Kevin Lucas, Lisa Hodgson

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Ageism and negative attitudes towards ageing have been identified within the literature as a cause for concern. Reactions to ageing are known to be strongly positively correlated with attitudes towards older people in general. Moreover, the link between ageist practice and quality of care is also established, but implications for education and training have not been explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the reactions to ageing of clinical and fieldwork educators of undergraduate students. Clinical and field work educators are largely responsible for all the clinical education received by these students and thus have the potential to …

Age-Related Differences In Inter-Digit Coupling During Finger Pinching, Justin Keogh, S. Morrison, R. Barrett

Justin Keogh

The present study was designed to examine the finger-pinch force control, digit force sharing and digit coupling relations of 13 young and 14 older adults. Subjects performed four isometric tri-digit finger-pinch force production conditions reflecting all combinations of mean force level (20 and 40% MVC) and target shape (constant and sinusoidal). Older adults had significantly reduced force control, as indicated by their greater levels of absolute and relative force variability and targeting error than young adults. The age-related loss of relative force control was more pronounced at low (20% MVC) than high (40% MVC) forces, and to a lesser extent, …