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Objective: This study aimed to measure the physical activity (exercise and non-exercise) of community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals and to investigate the relationships between physical activity and daily life behaviors.Methods: Community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals who resided in town A, city B, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and were not certified as requiring long-term care were included in this study. Physical activity in 1 week was measured using a triaxial accelerometer. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to assess daily life behaviors. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the factors affecting physical activity.Results: A total of 107 elderly Japanese (46 men and 61 women) individuals were included. The mean amount of physical activity in men was 37.9 Metabolic equivalents (METs)*h/wk, whereas that in women was 33.8 METs*h/wk. The proportion of exercise to physical activity for men and women was 43.2% and 26.0%, respectively. Men and women took an average of 47,393.7 and 35,305.6 steps/wk, respectively. Step counts and the presence or absence of plant cultivation were the factors associated with the amount of physical activity. The exercise component of physical activity was associated with step count, whereas the non-exercise component was associated with step count, plant cultivation, and frequent outings.Conclusion: Among community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals, physical activity levels appear to be affected by step count and the presence or absence of certain factors, such as plant cultivation and frequent outings.
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Objective To develop a shoe-cover-style obstacle avoidance device based on gait detection algorithm for the visually impaired.Methods The device was composed of shoes covers and an electric control box.The hardware involved in MSP430F1132 SCM as the control unit,triaxial accelerometer to measure foot acceleration,ultrasonic sensor to detect obstacles and solar battery for power supply.A gait detection algorithm was proposed to implement a foot motion states detection program,and the motion states included static and moving ones.Results The device executed obstacle detection when'the feet were raised and let down,and obstacle detection were stopped in case the feet were kept unmoving,shaking and hanging.The rate for mis-alarm was decreased and the operation procedure was simplified.Conclusion The device behaves well in timeliness,efficiency,mis-alarm,portability,low cost and easy operation,and thus is worthy studying and practical application.
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<p>The purpose of this study was to determine sway characteristics of a supported leg during a lateral stepping over obstacle task with different obstacle height and movement patterns, using a small triaxial accelerometer. We examined 20 healthy young adults to assess their trochanter malleolar distance traveled during a lateral stepping over obstacle task with obstacle heights of 30%, 50%, and 70%. The lateral stepping over tasks revealed flexion and extension patterns. We directed the subjects to grasp a forward handrail, perform the lateral step, and subsequently step over to the side. We calculated synthetic acceleration (SA) from acceleration data measured using two small triaxial accelerometers and two web cameras. We calculated supporting leg sway; RMS phases of X-, Y-, and Z-axes; and SA data. The subjects showed increased RMS of Y-axis and SA according to the obstacle height for the flexion pattern; however, they did not show change in RMS of Y-axis and SA according to the obstacle height for the extension pattern. During lateral stepping over, the RMS of Y-axis and SA for the flexion pattern were higher than for the extension pattern. The findings for the flexion pattern suggest that the center of gravity shifts higher according to increased obstacle height; consequently, the supporting leg becomes unstable. The findings for the extension pattern suggest that the “screw-home” rotation effect of the supporting leg during movement can support lateral stepping over better than the flexion pattern.</p>
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Resumo Diminuições no volume da atividade física diária (VAF - número de passos) e na intensidade da atividade física diária (IAF – velocidade média de caminhada) estão relacionadas com a maior incidência de quedas e aumento da incidência de doenças crônico-degenerativas em idosos. Portanto, identificar fatores que possam aumentar o VAF e a IAF torna-se essencial, principalmente para essa população. Desta forma, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a influência da força muscular no VAF e na IAF de idosos saudáveis. Foram recrutados 18 participantes (10 homens e oito mulheres), com idade acima de 60 anos. Os participantes realizaram o teste de uma repetição máxima (1-RM) e utilizaram acelerômetro triaxial durante sete dias consecutivos, para mensurar o VAF e a IAF. Para analisar a influência da força no VAF e IAF realizou-se uma análise de regressão linear simples. Não foram observadas correlações significantes entre a força muscular e o VAF (p = 0,93; r2 = −0,06), assim como, entre a força muscular e a IAF (p = 0,08; r2 = 0,17). Conclui-se que a força muscular não influencia o VAF e a IAF de idosos saudáveis.(AU)
Abstract Reduction in the volume daily physical activity (VAF – number of steps) and in the intensity of daily physical activity (IAF- average walk velocity) are related with higher incidence of falls and increase of incidence of chronic diseases in elderly. However, the identification of factors which may increase the VAF and the IAF became essential, especially in this population. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of muscle strength in VAF and the IAF of older healthy elderly. It were recruited 18 participants, ten men and eight women, aged above 60 years old. The participants performed the one repetition maximal test (1-RM) and afterwards they used the triaxial accelerometer, during seven consecutive days, to measure the VAF and the IAF. To analyze the influence of muscle strength in the VAF and IAF a simple linear regression analysis was performed. It was not observed significant correlations between the muscle strength and the VAF (p = 0.93; r2 = −0.06), or between muscle strength and the IAF (p = 0.08; r2 = 0.17). In conclusion the muscle strength does not influence the VAF and IAF of healthy older adults.(AU)
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Humans , Male , Female , Aged , Aging , Exercise , Muscle Strength , WalkingABSTRACT
This study examined the association of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with chronic low back pain (CLBP) in older adults. Cross-sectional data were collected from 715 elders aged 65 years and over living in Dazaifu, Japan. CLBP was defined as pain that sustains more than 1-3 months within the past year. PA and SB were objectively measured using a triaxial accelerometer (Omron Healthcare, Active style Pro (HJA 350IT)). Participants were categorized into four groups (2 groups of PA×2 groups of SB) according to their levels of PA and SB (divided into 2 levels; low and high levels around the median). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine effect of PA/SB with CLBP. In the analyses, sex, age, body mass index, smoking, educational attainment, falls, handgrip strength, knee pain and non-locomotive activities were treated as potential confounders. The prevalence of CLBP was 35%. After adjustment of confounding factors, significantly higher risk of CLBP was shown only in Low PA/High SB group (odds ratio : 1.66, 95% confidence interval : 1.02-2.70), compared with that of the reference group (High PA/Low SB group). These results suggest that the combination of low PA and high SB might be the risk of CLBP. Future studies should try to clarify whether CLBP is a cause or a consequence of inactivity.
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PURPOSE: We performed a study to determine the best appropriate wearing site of a triaxial accelerometer at different exercise speeds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational study with 66 healthy Korean adults (26 men and 40 women). Resting metabolic rate (RMR) before exercise, physical activity-related energy expenditure (PAEE) by cardiorespiratory gas analyzer and Signal Vector Magnitude (SVM) were measured while wearing four triaxial accelerometers on four different sites (wrist, waist, upper arm, and ankle) at exercise speeds from 2-10 km/h. RESULTS: The mean RMR was 4.03 mL/kg/min and Actual METs (oxygen consumption at different exercise speeds divided by individual RMR) compared with the calculated METs (oxygen consumption divided by 3.5 mL/kg/min) showed relatively low value. The overall correlation between PAEE and SVM was highest when the accelerometer was worn on the wrist at low exercise speed (r=0.751, p<0.001), waist at a moderate speed (r=0.821, p<0.001), and ankle at a high speed (r=0.559, p<0.001). Using regression analysis, it was shown that the ankle at a low speed (R2=0.564, p<0.001), high speed (R2=0.559, p<0.001), and the waist at a moderate speed (R2=0.821, p<0.001) were the best appropriate sites. CONCLUSION: When measuring the PAEE and SVM at different exercise speeds, the ankle in low and high exercise speed, and waist in moderate speed are the most appropriate sites for an accelerometer.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Anthropometry/methods , Basal Metabolism/physiology , Energy Metabolism/physiology , Exercise/physiology , Oxygen Consumption/physiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the Physical Activity Recall (Stanford 7-days physical activity recall)with the Triaxial accelerometer (RT3)to assess physical activity in young adults. METHODS: Thirty-seven subjects wore the RT3 for 24 hours and then completed the physical activity recall. The Stanford 7-Day Recall records hours of sleep, light-, moderate-, hard-and very hard levels of physical activity. RESULTS: The total energy expenditure per day for the Stanford 7-day recall and RT3 was 2381.29 +/-594.93 kcal/day and 2232.97 +/-398.32 kcal/day,respectively, and showed high correlation (r=0.821).The activity energy expenditure per day for the Stanford 7-day recall and RT3 was 836.21+/-290.59 kcal/day and 509.83+/-181.57 kcal/day,respectively,and showed less high but significant correlation (r=0.327).When compared by sex, the total energy expenditure was significantly correlated in men (r=0.572)and the activity energy expenditure in women (r=0.484). CONCLUSION: The Stanford 7-day recall and the RT3 was highly correlated in the total energy expenditure and significantly correlated in the activity energy expenditure. Therefore,it may be used reciprocally to assess physical activity.