ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between gait performance and cognitive impairment. The main purposes of this study were: (1) to design and validate a complex gait test (CGT) in older people, (2) to analyze the effects of age and sex on CGT, and (3) to analyze the association between CGT performance and physical functioning and cognitive measures. METHODS: A total of 279 older people (60-97 years) were analyzed in 2019. Fitness tests, gait performance, and several cognitive measures such asthe Trail-Walking Test and Montreal Cognitive Assessment were used. RESULTS: The CGT reported adequate reliability and validity parameters. In the test-retest analysis, the intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.868 (p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the CGT and Trail-Walking Test (r = 0.592; p < 0.001). The linear regression analysis showed that the CGT was associated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (R2 = 0.357; p =0.001). The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that a high CGT score was a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (odds ratio 1.201, 95% CI 1.081-1.334; p = 0.001). The ROC curve of the mild cognitive impairment was predicted by the CGT performance (area under the curve = 0.768, 95% CI 0.647-0.889; p < 0.001), reaching the cut-off point at 20.25 s. CONCLUSIONS: The CGT showed good reliability and validity and may serve as a potential biomarker in mild cognitive impairment prediction in older adults aged 60-97 years.
Subject(s)
Cognition/physiology , Exercise Test/standards , Gait/physiology , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology , Cohort Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Geriatric Assessment , Humans , Male , Mental Status and Dementia Tests , Middle Aged , Reproducibility of Results , Sex Factors , Spain , Walking/physiologyABSTRACT
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is emerging as a safe and effective means to combat chronic diseases. The objective of this work was to perform a systematic review of the effect of HIIT interventions in an aging population. Three electronic databases were searched for randomized trials comparing the effect of HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training in older adults. After a thorough screening process, 15 articles were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies expressed a comparable or superior effect of HIIT in cardiorespiratory fitness measures. No studies reported a lessened effect of HIIT in comparison with moderate-intensity continuous training. This systematic review demonstrates that HIIT is a useful exercise regimen, which can be used in older adults to increase cardiorespiratory fitness. More research is needed to determine the effects of HIIT in an aging, predominately female population.
