Reliability of walking speed in basic and complex conditions in healthy, older community-dwelling individuals.

Background: There is a paucity of reliability data for walking speed tests in complex conditions to assess functioning in healthy older individuals.

Aims: To evaluate the absolute intra- and intertest reliability of walking speed performed in basic and complex conditions in healthy older individuals.

Methods: Fifty-two men and women of mean age 69.

Health and Quality of Life Perception in Older Adults: The Joint Role of Cognitive Efficiency and Functional Mobility.

Cognitive and mobility functions are involved in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The present cross-sectional study aimed at investigating what facets of efficient cognition and functional mobility interactively contribute to mental and physical HRQoL. Fifty-six healthy older individuals (aged 65-75 years) were evaluated for mental and physical HRQoL, core cognitive executive functions (inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility), and functional mobility (walking) under single and dual task conditions.

Comparison of the effect of multicomponent and resistance training programs on metabolic health parameters in the elderly.

Unlabelled: Physical activity interventions such as resistance training (RT) and multicomponent (MCT) exercise training are known to improve functional mobility and reduce the risk of disability among the elderly. Less evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of such exercises to improve metabolic risk factors for age related conditions. This study aimed to compare the effects of MCT and RT programs on metabolic health parameters in healthy elderly.

Supervised walking in comparison with fitness training for chronic back pain in physiotherapy: results of the SWIFT single-blinded randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN17592092).

Effectiveness of brief/minimal contact self-activation interventions that encourage participation in physical activity (PA) for chronic low back pain (CLBP >12 weeks) is unproven. The primary objective of this assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was to investigate the difference between an individualized walking programme (WP), group exercise class (EC), and usual physiotherapy (UP, control) in mean change in functional disability at 6 months. A sample of 246 participants with CLBP aged 18 to 65 years (79 men and 167 women; mean age ± SD: 45.

Measures of static postural control moderate the association of strength and power with functional dynamic balance.

Background And Aims: Age-related reductions in strength and power are considered to negatively impact balance control, but the existence of a direct association is still an issue of debate. This is possibly due to the fact that balance assessment is complex, reflects different underlying physiologic mechanisms and involves quantitative measurements of postural sway or timing of performance during balance tasks. The present study evaluated the moderator effect of static postural control on the association of power and strength with dynamic balance tasks.

Executive function moderates the role of muscular fitness in determining functional mobility in older adults.

Background And Aims: Both physical and cognitive factors are known to independently predict functional mobility in older people. However, the combined predictive value of both physical fitness and cognitive factors on functional mobility has been less investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess if cognitive executive functions moderate the role of physical fitness in determining functional mobility of older individuals.

Enhancing cognitive functioning in the elderly: multicomponent vs resistance training.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different exercise training programs on executive cognitive functions and functional mobility in older adults. A secondary purpose was to explore the potential mediators of training effects on executive function and functional mobility with particular reference to physical fitness gains.

Methods: A sample of 42 healthy community dwelling adults aged 65 to 75 years participated twice weekly for 3 months in either: (1) multicomponent training, prioritizing neuromuscular coordination, balance, agility, and cognitive executive control; or (2) progressive resistance training for strength conditioning.

Exercise prescription in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus : current practices, existing guidelines and future directions.

Exercise is an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus, resulting in stabilization of plasma glucose in the acute phase and improvements in body composition, insulin resistance and glycosylated haemoglobin with chronic exercise training. However, the most appropriate exercise prescription for type 2 diabetes has not yet been established, resulting from insufficient evidence to determine the optimum type, intensity, duration or frequency of exercise training. Furthermore, patient engagement in exercise is suboptimal.

New loci associated with birth weight identify genetic links between intrauterine growth and adult height and metabolism.

Birth weight within the normal range is associated with a variety of adult-onset diseases, but the mechanisms behind these associations are poorly understood. Previous genome-wide association studies of birth weight identified a variant in the ADCY5 gene associated both with birth weight and type 2 diabetes and a second variant, near CCNL1, with no obvious link to adult traits. In an expanded genome-wide association meta-analysis and follow-up study of birth weight (of up to 69,308 individuals of European descent from 43 studies), we have now extended the number of loci associated at genome-wide significance to 7, accounting for a similar proportion of variance as maternal smoking.

Assessment of musculo-articular and muscle stiffness in young and older men.

Introduction: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to concurrently assess musculo-articular stiffness (MAS) and muscle stiffness (MS) of the knee extensors in younger and older individuals.

Methods: Fourteen young (22.1 ± 3.

Seasonal and annual variation in young children's physical activity.

Introduction: It is well established that regular physical activity (PA) contributes to lower levels of morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the stability of very young children's PA habits across seasons and years. The aims of this study were to 1) examine the influence of season and increasing age on objectively assessed PA in preschool children and 2) examine the stability of young children's PA rankings during 1 yr.

Physical activity in childhood and bone health.

The aim of this review is to provide a concise overview and update on recent advances in the field of physical activity in childhood and its effects on bone growth with an emphasis on the potential to prevent fractures. In addition, the review poses several unresolved questions in the field for future research.

Inflammation markers are associated with cardiovascular diseases risk in adolescents: the Young Hearts project 2000.

Purpose: The traditional approach for identifying subjects at risk from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is to determine the extent of clustering of biological risk factors adjusted for lifestyle. Recently, markers of endothelial dysfunction and low grade inflammation, including high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecules (sICAM), and soluble vascular adhesion molecules (sVCAM), have been included in the detection for high risk individuals. However, the relationship of these novel biomarkers with CVD risk in adolescents remains unclear.

Physiotherapy for sleep disturbance in chronic low back pain: a feasibility randomised controlled trial.

Background: Sleep disturbance is becoming increasingly recognised as a clinically important symptom in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP, low back pain >12 weeks), associated with physical inactivity and depression. Current research and international clinical guidelines recommend people with CLBP assume a physically active role in their recovery to prevent chronicity, but the high prevalence of sleep disturbance in this population may be unknowingly limiting their ability to participate in exercise-based rehabilitation programmes and contributing to poor outcomes. There is currently no knowledge concerning the effectiveness of physiotherapy on sleep disturbance in people with chronic low back pain and no evidence of the feasibility of conducting randomized controlled trials that comprehensively evaluate sleep as an outcome measure in this population.

A possible role for the PPARG Pro12Ala polymorphism in preterm birth.

The links between preterm birth, low birth weight, and adult vascular/metabolic morbidity remain unclear. Genetic susceptibility of babies related to these three conditions might contribute to this long-term association. We tested whether the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) gene could play a role in birth weight and duration of gestation.

Evaluating the effects of a low volume stairclimbing programme on measures of health-related fitness in sedentary office workers.

Despite its obvious advantages, few studies have examined health outcomes of regular stariclimbing. In this study, we investigated the training effects of eight weeks of stairclimbing on recognised measures of health-related fitness in an occupational setting. Forty-five public sector employees (22 male, 23 female) aged 42.

Insulin sensitivity and clustering of coronary heart disease risk factors in young adults. The Northern Ireland Young Hearts Study.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is usually associated with "clustering" of risk factors. Insulin resistance may cause deleterious changes in several CHD risk factors and is of potential interest in the aetiology of clustered risk. We analyzed how glucose and insulin variables were associated with clustered risk.

The effects of 60 minutes of brisk walking per week, accumulated in two different patterns, on cardiovascular risk.

Background: Current ACSM guidelines recommend that adults should exercise for 20-60 min on 3-5 days.week(-1) (M.L.

Speed and exercise intensity of recreational walkers.

Background: Brisk walking has been identified as an activity suited to meet American College of Sport Medicine/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for moderate intensity exercise (55-69% HR(max), 40-59% VO(2)R). However, little is known about whether recreational walkers self-select a pace which elicits this intensity and how they interpret the term "brisk walking."

Methods: The walking speed of 82 adults was covertly observed in a public park.