Articles

Body mass index and cognitive decline among community-living older adults: the modifying effect of physical activity

To examine the associations between BMI categories and subsequent 3-year cognitive decline among older adults, and to test whether physical activity modifies the associations.

Authors: Isabelle Pitrou, Helen-Maria Vasiliadis and Carol Hudon

Combined driving: task-specific position impacts grip strength of equestrian athletes

Loss of hand strength is a predictor of mortality in aging populations. Despite reliance on the hands to participate in equestrian driving activity, no existing studies focus on associations of hand strength t...

Authors: Michaela M. Keener, Kimberly I. Tumlin and Nicholas R. Heebner

Distinct physical activity and sedentary behavior trajectories in older adults during participation in a physical activity intervention: a latent class growth analysis

This study aimed to identify latent moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) trajectories in older adults participating in a randomized intervention trial and to expl...

Authors: Tiara Ratz, Claudia R. Pischke, Claudia Voelcker-Rehage and Sonia Lippke

Effect of hypoxic conditioning on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in healthy older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Hypoxic conditioning has been proposed as a new tool to mitigate the sarcopenia and enhance health-related function, but decrements in standing balance have been observed during hypoxia exposure. The aim of th...

Authors: Rafael Timon, Marta Camacho-Cardeñosa, Adrián González-Custodio, Guillermo Olcina, Narcis Gusi and Alba Camacho-Cardeñosa

Effects of different exercise interventions on heart rate variability and cardiovascular health factors in older adults: a systematic review

Aging impairs physiological processes in the autonomic nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems which are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart rate variability (HRV), the beat-...

Authors: Bernhard Grässler, Beatrice Thielmann, Irina Böckelmann and Anita Hökelmann

Effects of resistance training in healthy older people with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

We conducted a meta-analysis to analyze the effects of resistance training on measures of body composition, muscle strength, and muscle performance in older people with sarcopenia.

Authors: Nan Chen, Xiangfeng He, Yuwei Feng, Barbara E. Ainsworth and Yu Liu

The Frail’BESTest: an adaptation of the “balance evaluation system test” for frail older adults; Concurrent validity, responsiveness, validity for fall prediction and detection of slower walkers

The Frail’BESTest was developed in order to include frail older adults when they are using the BESTest. Recently, psychometrics properties (internal coherence, systems usefulness, complementarity and inter-rat...

Authors: A. Kubicki, D. Laroche, L. Coquisart, G. Basile, M. Brika and F. Mourey

Effectiveness of a community-delivered pneumatic machine resistance training programme (Gym Tonic) for older adults at neighbourhood senior centres – a randomized controlled trial

Resistance training with pneumatic machines attenuates the age-associated loss in muscle strength and function in older adults. However, effectiveness of scaled-up pneumatic machine resistance training in the ...

Authors: Shuen Yee Lee, Alycia Goh, Ken Tan, Pei Ling Choo, Peck Hoon Ong, Wai Pong Wong and Shiou-Liang Wee

The ability to increase the base of support and recover stability is limited in its generalisation for different balance perturbation tasks

The assessment of stability recovery performance following perturbations contributes to the determination of fall resisting skills. This study investigated the association between stability recovery performanc...

Authors: Jil Bosquée, Julian Werth, Gaspar Epro, Thorben Hülsdünker, Wolfgang Potthast, Kenneth Meijer, Rolf Ellegast and Kiros Karamanidis

The age-related decline in spatiotemporal gait characteristics is moderated by concerns of falling, history of falls & diseases, and sociodemographic-anthropometric characteristics in 60–94 years old adults

Associations between age, concerns or history of falling, and various gait parameters are evident. Limited research, however, exists on how such variables moderate the age-related decline in gait characteristi...

Authors: Daniel Niederer, Tobias Engeroff, Johannes Fleckenstein, Oliver Vogel and Lutz Vogt

Effects of physical exercise on working memory in older adults: a systematic and meta-analytic review

This systematic and meta-analytic review aimed to investigate the effects of physical exercise on the working memory of older adults, and to identify the moderators of these effects.

Authors: Cai Zhidong, Xing Wang, Jilin Yin, Dehai Song and Zhitong Chen

An interrater reliability study of gait analysis systems with the dual task paradigm in healthy young and older adults

One reason for the controversial discussion of whether the dual task (DT) walking paradigm has an added value for diagnosis in clinical conditions might be the use of different gait measurement systems. Theref...

Authors: Thomas Jürgen Klotzbier, Bettina Wollesen, Oliver Vogel, Julian Rudisch, Thomas Cordes, Thomas Jöllenbeck and Lutz Vogt

Functional capacity and dual-task cost in the institutionalized older adults, both affected and unaffected by mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects 10–20% of the individuals over the age of 65; this proportion being higher in the institutional care facilities than within a general population.

Authors: Marek Zak, Szymon Krupnik, Waldemar Brola, Dorota Rebak, Tomasz Sikorski, Frederic Dutheil, Jaroslaw Andrychowski and Daniel Courteix

Sensor-based fall risk assessment in older adults with or without cognitive impairment: a systematic review

Higher age and cognitive impairment are associated with a higher risk of falling. Wearable sensor technology may be useful in objectively assessing motor fall risk factors to improve physical exercise interven...

Authors: Jelena Bezold, Janina Krell-Roesch, Tobias Eckert, Darko Jekauc and Alexander Woll

Individual socioeconomic and neighborhood factors predict changes in sports activity during the transition to retirement

There are substantial socioeconomic status (SES) differences in sports activity (SA) during the transition to retirement. In line with social-ecological models, the aim of this longitudinal study was to examin...

Authors: Dorothee Jürgens and Benjamin Schüz

Correction to: Bone mineral density in elite masters athletes: the effect of body composition and long-term exercise

Authors: Anna Kopiczko, Jakub Grzegorz Adamczyk, Karol Gryko and Marek Popowczak

The MIPAM trial – motivational interviewing and physical activity monitoring to enhance the daily level of physical activity among older adults – a randomized controlled trial

One in four older adults in Denmark and almost half of the very old above 75 do not meet the World Health Organization’s recommendations for a minimum of physical activity (PA). A cost-efficient and effective ...

Authors: Rasmus Tolstrup Larsen, Christoffer Bruun Korfitsen, Camilla Keller, Jan Christensen, Henning Boje Andersen, Carsten Juhl and Henning Langberg

Saving lives through life-threatening measures? The COVID-19 paradox of infection prevention in long-term care facilities

The current SARS Cov-2 infection control measures have paradoxical effects. On the one hand, the lockdown measures help to protect vulnerable populations in particular. On the other hand, these measures inevit...

Authors: Ansgar Thiel, Dorothee Altmeier, Annika Frahsa, Gerhard W. Eschweiler, Andreas Nieß and Gorden Sudeck

Effectiveness of an individually tailored home-based exercise programme for pre-frail older adults, driven by a tablet application and mobility monitoring: a pilot study

To gain first insight into the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme for pre-frail older adults with independent use of novel ICT technology.

Authors: Hilde A. E. Geraedts, Hidde Dijkstra, Wei Zhang, Francisco Ibarra, Iman Khaghani Far, Wiebren Zijlstra and Martin Stevens

Change of physical activity parameters of hip and pelvic fracture patients during inpatient rehabilitation and after discharge: analysis of global and in-depth parameters

A growing number of older adults suffer hip and pelvic fractures leading to hospital admission. They often result in reduced physical activity (PA) and impaired mobility. PA can be objectively measured with bo...

Authors: Karin Kampe, Klaus Pfeiffer, Ulrich Lindemann, Daniel Schoene, Kristin Taraldsen, Kilian Rapp, Clemens Becker and Jochen Klenk

Effects of low back pain on balance performance in elderly people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Research suggests that individuals with low back pain (LBP) may have poorer motor control compared to their healthy counterparts. However, the sample population of almost 90% of related articles are young and ...

Authors: Le Ge, Chuhuai Wang, Haohan Zhou, Qiuhua Yu and Xin Li

Bone mineral density in elite masters athletes: the effect of body composition and long-term exercise

The purpose of the study was to examine how bone mineral density (BMD) is related to body composition depending on the practiced sport (endurance, speed-power, throwing sports) in participants of the World Mas...

Authors: Anna Kopiczko, Jakub Grzegorz Adamczyk, Karol Gryko and Marek Popowczak

Long-term participation in community group exercise improves lower extremity muscle strength and delays age-related declines in walking speed and physical function in older adults

The effects of group exercise on the physical function of community-dwelling older adults remain unclear. The changes in lower extremity muscle strength, timed up and go (TUG) time, and the motor fitness scale...

Authors: Chisato Hayashi, Soshiro Ogata, Tadashi Okano, Hiromitsu Toyoda and Sonoe Mashino

Physical activity, resilience, emotions, moods, and weight control of older adults during the COVID-19 global crisis

The main purpose of the research was to examine the differences between adults in the age group 70+ and two other age groups (45–59 and 60–69), concerning their healthy and active lifestyle. The death toll of ...

Authors: Sima Zach, Aviva Zeev, Miki Ophir and Sigal Eilat-Adar

Effects of multimodal agility-like exercise training compared to inactive controls and alternative training on physical performance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Multimodal exercise training (MT) as a time-efficient training modality promotes a wide range of physical dimensions. Incorporating agility-like training aspects (coordination, changes of direction and velocit...

Authors: Mareike Morat, Tobias Morat, Wiebren Zijlstra and Lars Donath

A randomized controlled trial into the cognitive effects of a computer-tailored physical activity intervention in older adults with chronic disease(s)

Cognitive functioning (CF) is important for wellbeing and an independent life. However, older adults with chronic diseases are at a higher risk of poorer CF levels. Although, research suggests that physical ac...

Authors: Esmee Volders, Renate H. M. de Groot, Juul M. J. Coumans, Catherine A. W. Bolman and Lilian Lechner

Peer-led exercise program for ageing adults to improve physical functions - a randomized trial

A peer-led exercise program is one way to empower people sharing similar characteristics to encourage others to be active, but there is a lack of evidence that these programs have physical function and other b...

Authors: D. R. Bouchard, J. V. Olthuis, V. Bouffard-Levasseur, C. Shannon, T. McDonald and M. Sénéchal

Performance on sit-to-stand tests in relation to measures of functional fitness and sarcopenia diagnosis in community-dwelling older adults

The sit-to-stand (STS) test has been deployed as surrogate measures of strength or physical performance in sarcopenia diagnosis. This study examines the relationship of two common STS variants – Five Times Sit...

Authors: Xianyang Sherman Yee, Yee Sien Ng, John Carson Allen, Aisyah Latib, Ee Ling Tay, Huda Mukhlis Abu Bakar, Chien Yee Jolene Ho, Wan Cheen Charissa Koh, Hwee Heem Theresa Kwek and Laura Tay

Map-based assessment of older adults’ life space: validity and reliability

Map-based tools have recently found their way into health-related research. They can potentially be used to quantify older adults’ life-space. This study aimed to evaluate the validity (vs. GPS) and the test-r...

Authors: Timo Hinrichs, Adriana Zanda, Michelle P. Fillekes, Pia Bereuter, Erja Portegijs, Taina Rantanen, Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Andreas W. Zeller and Robert Weibel

Personality traits and physical functioning: a cross-sectional multimethod facet-level analysis

This study aimed to investigate whether personality traits and their facets are associated with a multi-methods assessment of physical activity and walking performance and whether they explain the discrepancy ...

Authors: Tiia Kekäläinen, Antonio Terracciano, Sarianna Sipilä and Katja Kokko

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Polish version of the physical activity scale for older people living in a community: a cross-sectional study

Polish clinicians and researchers face challenges in selecting physical activity tools appropriate and validated for older people. The aim of this study is to provide cultural adaptation and validation of the ...

Authors: Agnieszka Wiśniowska-Szurlej, Agnieszka Ćwirlej-Sozańska, Natalia Wołoszyn, Bernard Sozański, Anna Wilmowska-Pietruszyńska and Richard Washburn

The effect of exercise-based interventions on health-related quality of life and physical function in older patients with cancer receiving medical antineoplastic treatments: a systematic review

Older patients with cancer are underrepresented in trials investigating the effect of exercise therapy. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of exercise therapy during medical antine...

Authors: Marta Kramer Mikkelsen, Carsten Bogh Juhl, Cecilia Margareta Lund, Mary Jarden, Anders Vinther and Dorte Lisbet Nielsen

Effectiveness and sustainability of a motor-cognitive stepping exergame training on stepping performance in older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Training effects reported for stepping exergames on stepping performances in older adults often based on not comprehensively validated outcomes measures, and follow-up data on their sustainability are lacking....

Authors: Klaus Hauer, Elena Litz, Michaela Günther-Lange, Caroline Ball, Eling D. de Bruin and Christian Werner

Why physical activity matters for older adults in a time of pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted communities across the world. Government responses, of promoting ‘social distancing’ at a population level, and ‘self-isolation’ of older adults to mitigate its spread have b...

Authors: Conor Cunningham and Roger O’ Sullivan

Barriers and facilitators to adherence to walking group exercise in older people living with dementia in the community: a systematic review

Evidence suggests that targeted exercise is important for people living with dementia. The aim of this review was to collect and synthesize evidence on the known barriers and facilitators to adherence to walki...

Authors: J. Vseteckova, K. Dadova, R. Gracia, G. Ryan, E. Borgstrom, J. Abington, M. Gopinath and Y. Pappas

Effects of vibration therapy on muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function in older adults with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass and function with advancing age, is a prevalent condition among older adults. As most older people are too frail to do intensive exercise and vibration therapy has...

Authors: Shuang Wu, Hong-Ting Ning, Su-Mei Xiao, Ming-Yue Hu, Xin-Yin Wu, Hong-Wen Deng and Hui Feng

Correction to: Effectiveness of a resistance training program on physical function, muscle strength, and body composition in community-dwelling older adults receiving home care: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Hilde Bremseth Bårdstu, Vidar Andersen, Marius Steiro Fimland, Lene Aasdahl, Truls Raastad, Kristoffer T. Cumming and Atle Hole Sæterbakken

Effects of a four week detraining period on physical, metabolic, and inflammatory profiles of elderly women who regularly participate in a program of strength training

Human aging has innumerable health implications, including loss of muscle mass and increased circulating inflammatory markers. Resistance exercise in the elderly can prevent muscle mass loss and improve the in...

Authors: Carolina P. Celestrin, Guilherme Z. Rocha, Angelica M. Stein, Dioze Guadagnini, Rafael M. Tadelle, Mario J. A. Saad and Alexandre G. Oliveira

Effectiveness of a resistance training program on physical function, muscle strength, and body composition in community-dwelling older adults receiving home care: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Aging is associated with reduced muscle mass and strength leading to impaired physical function. Resistance training programs incorporated into older adults’ real-life settings may have the potential to counte...

Authors: Hilde Bremseth Bårdstu, Vidar Andersen, Marius Steiro Fimland, Lene Aasdahl, Truls Raastad, Kristoffer T. Cumming and Atle Hole Sæterbakken

Long-time follow up of physical activity level among older adults with rheumatoid arthritis

Physical activity and exercise are acknowledged as important parts in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, long-term maintenance of exercise is known to be difficult. The aim of this study was...

Authors: Elvira Lange, Inger Gjertsson and Kaisa Mannerkorpi

The effects of cognitive-motor training interventions on executive functions in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ageing is associated with physical and cognitive decline, affecting independence and quality of life in older people. Recent studies show that in particular executive functions are important for daily-life fun...

Authors: Bettina Wollesen, Alicia Wildbredt, Kimberley S. van Schooten, Mei Ling Lim and Kim Delbaere

Device-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity in older adults differ by demographic and health-related factors

Our aim was to describe and explore older adults’ device-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA) pattern by sex, age, education, marital status, body mass index, and physical function; and to as...

Authors: Ing-Mari Dohrn, Paul A. Gardiner, Elisabeth Winkler and Anna-Karin Welmer

The effect of e-health interventions promoting physical activity in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The objectives of this review paper were to synthesize the data from randomized controlled trials in the literature to come to a conclusion on the effects of e-health interventions on promoting physical activi...

Authors: Rick Yiu Cho Kwan, Dauda Salihu, Paul Hong Lee, Mimi Tse, Daphne Sze Ki Cheung, Inthira Roopsawang and Kup Sze Choi

Psycho-social correlates of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among older adults: a multivariate analysis

Still, a considerable number of older adults hardly meet the daily physical activity recommendation. The current study examined how the elderly’s attitudinal and perceptional aspects were associated with their...

Authors: Sunwoo Lee, Chungsup Lee and Jaesung An

Correction to: The difference in sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity between older adults with ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ cardiometabolic profiles: a cross-sectional compositional data analysis approach

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error on the content of Availability of data and materials section in their paper.

Authors: Declan John Ryan, Jorgen Antonin Wullems, Georgina Kate Stebbings, Christopher Ian Morse, Claire Elizabeth Stewart and Gladys Leopoldine Onambele-Pearson

Associations of physical activity in detailed intensity ranges with body composition and physical function. a cross-sectional study among sedentary older adults

Physical activity is crucial to maintain older adults’ health and functioning, but the health benefits of particular activity intensities remain unclear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to peruse the...

Authors: Tiina Savikangas, Anna Tirkkonen, Markku Alen, Taina Rantanen, Roger A. Fielding, Timo Rantalainen and Sarianna Sipilä

A usability study of a multicomponent video game-based training for older adults

Aging is often accompanied by a decline in sensory, motor and cognitive functions. These age- and lifestyle-related impairments may lead to reduced daily life functioning including gait disturbances, falling a...

Authors: Manuela Adcock, Floriana Sonder, Alexandra Schättin, Federico Gennaro and Eling D. de Bruin

Effect of 9 weeks continuous vs. interval aerobic training on plasma BDNF levels, aerobic fitness, cognitive capacity and quality of life among seniors with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized controlled trial

Evidence suggests that aerobic-type training confers physical benefits and appears to contribute positively to brain health. This study aims to compare the effect of 9-weeks continuous (CAT) to interval aerobi...

Authors: Lievyn Enette, Thomas Vogel, Sylvie Merle, Anna-Gaelle Valard-Guiguet, Nathalie Ozier-Lafontaine, Remi Neviere, Claudia Leuly-Joncart, Jean Luc Fanon and Pierre Olivier Lang

Criterion validity for step counting in four consumer-grade physical activity monitors among older adults with and without rollators

Few studies have investigated the measurement properties of consumer-grade physical activity monitors (PAMs) in older adults. Therefore, we investigated the criterion validity of consumer-grade PAMs in older a...

Authors: Rasmus Tolstrup Larsen, Christoffer Brun Korfitsen, Carsten Bogh Juhl, Henning Boje Andersen, Henning Langberg and Jan Christensen

The difference in sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity between older adults with ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ cardiometabolic profiles: a cross-sectional compositional data analysis approach

Studies have seldom used Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA) to map the effects of sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity on older adults’ cardio-metabolic profiles. This study therefore aimed to ill...

Authors: Declan John Ryan, Jorgen Antonin Wullems, Georgina Kate Stebbings, Christopher Ian Morse, Claire Elizabeth Stewart and Gladys Leopoldine Onambele-Pearson