The decline in body height as an element of involution changes in somatic structure of women and men over 50 years of age

Wstęp. Choć zainteresowanie okresem starości człowieka ciągle rośnie, nadal niewiele publikacji poświęca się inwolucyjnym zmianom w budowie somatycznej oraz zmiennym warunkującym ich kierunek. Celem pracy było zbadanie przebiegu procesów inwolucyjnych u kobiet i mężczyzn z uwzględnieniem czynników środowiskowych, zwłaszcza trybu życia i aktywności ruchowej, i ich wpływu na tempo zmian wysokości i proporcji ciała. Materiał i metody. Zebrano podstawowe pomiary antropometryczne oraz wywiad dotyczący sytuacji społeczno- ekonomicznej, aktualnego stanu zdrowia, statusu rodzinnego, stylu życia, sprawności poruszania się, samoobsługi oraz korzystania z używek. Wyniki. Badaną grupę stanowiło 332 osoby w wieku 50–96 lat, w tym 188 kobiet i 144 mężczyzn zamieszkujących Śląsk. Stwierdzono istotny regres wysokości ciała w odniesieniu do wysokości z okresu młodości badanych. Wśród istotnych determinantów warunkujących obniżanie się wysokości ciała badanych wyróżnia się: wdowieństwo, stan zdrowia, aktywność ruchową, wykonywany zawód, poziom samoobsługi. Kobiety znacząco maleją między 65.–75. rokiem życia, mężczyźni po 75. roku życia. Wnioski. Największy udział w obniżaniu się wysokości ciała mają składowe: długość kończyn dolnych i długość głowy wraz z szyją. Większe zmiany wysokości ciała obserwuje się u kobiet. Gerontol. Pol. 2010; 18, 4: 183–193Background. Although the interest in the period of old age of human is still increasing, publications on the subject of involutionary changes in somatic structure and variables conditioning their direction are still rare. The aim of this study was to examine the course of involution processes of women and men taking into consideration environmental factors particularly lifestyle and physical activity, and their influence over the pace of changes of body height and proportion. Material and methods. Basic anthropometric measurements were gathered and an inquiry conducted. The inquiry concerned socio-economical situation, current health status, family status, lifestyle, motoric fitness, selfmaintenance, and the use of stimulants. Results. The surveyed group consisted of 332 people between 50–96 years of age, including 188 women and 144 men inhabiting Silesia. A significant regression of body height in reference to the height from the period of youth of people surveyed was observed. Significant determinants conditioning the lowering of body height of people surveyed include: widowhood, health status, physical activity, occupation, the level of self-maintenance. Women’s height reduces significantly between 65 and 75 years of age and men’s after 75 years of age. Conclusions. The lowering of body height is caused to the largest extent by two components: the length of lower limbs and the length of head together with neck. Larger changes of body height were observed among women. Gerontol. Pol. 2010; 18, 4: 183–19

GOALS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION BASED ON OPINIONS OF ACADEMIC TEACHERS FROM SELECTED POLISH UNIVERSITIES

To achieve its aim, any human activity needs to be performed consciously and purposefully. In this way, such an activity strengthens perseverance and contributes to the development of a strategy of action. The selection of the objective is associated with the valuation and hierarchy of goals and in such circumstances the teacher who targets the completion o a variety of tasks needs to determine what is important for them, prioritise, and establish which activities are indispensable in order to proceed to further steps (Strelau, 2000). Physical education forms a process through which students are prepared for an independent, satisfying and life-long participation in movement culture(Crum, 2007). However, the realization of these goals is relative to activities on the part of teachers and adequate education throughout the course of the study program. The objective of this paper is to establish the opinions of academic teachers regarding the hierarchy of the goals of physical education. The survey involved 52 teachers working at three Polish universities: Opole University of Technology, University of Physical Education in Katowice and State Higher Vocational School in Racibórz. The method involved a diagnostic technique, i.e. a survey in the form of a questionnaire. The specific tool applied a survey developed by the European Physical Education Association. On the basis of the replies to the questionnaire we can conclude that all interviewees agree on the principal objective i.e. encouraging students to follow an active and healthy lifestyle. This objective was followed in priority by ensuring students’ safety during physical education classes and developing the range of movement skills

Body Composition and Hydration Status in Young Elderly Women after 6 Weeks’ Monavie Juice Supplementation

This study was designed to determine the influence of 6 weeks’ MonaVie juice supplementation on body composition and hydration status in young elderly physically active women. Sixteen women, students of University of Third Age, were recruited for this study. All women were physically active (daily energy expenditure 1681.8 ± 297.6 kcal/d). Women were divided into 2 groups: 8 of them applied a supplement MonaVie juice (100 ml/d) (S) for 6 weeks, while the eight other women were allocated to the control group (C). There were measured: BW, Fat%, TBW, Hb, HCT and erythrocyte indices: RBC, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Based on Hb and HCT were calculated changes: blood (del BV%), plasma (del PV%) and cell (del CV%) volumes in C and S group. Before experiment all body components and hematologic indices were similar in C and S group. After 6 weeks of MonaVie supplementation no significant changes in body composition but significant decrease: (MCH), (MCHC) and an increase cell volume CV% + 2.89 ± 1.24% were found. In control group after 6 weeks period there were no significant changes in body components and hematological indices. These observations suggest that MonaVie supplementation does not induce significant changes in body composition and hydration status in young elderly women, however causes an increase of cells volume and a decrease of mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

Neighborhood environment and walking for transport and recreation in Central European older adults

<strong>BACKGROUND</strong>: Neighborhood environment is an aspect that influences physical activity, mainly walking. Hence, built environment research may help to use environmental and policy strategies to increase physical activity. <strong>OBJECTIVE</strong>: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between perceived neighborhood environment and meeting the recommendation of at least 30 minutes of walking 5 or more days a week within active transportation and leisure-time domains in Central European older adults. <strong>METHODS</strong>: Four hundred and fifty six healthy ambulatory older adults filled out the modified and culturally adapted version of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (ANEWS) for obtaining perceived environment information and the self-administrative long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for assessing physical activity levels. <strong>RESULTS</strong>: Respondents living in high residential density neighborhoods (OR 1.87), living in flats (OR 2.09) and in location with ≤100,000 inhabitants (OR 1.63) were more likely to meet recommendation within walking for transportation. Owning a dog was associated with meeting recommendation within walking for leisure (OR 1.69). <strong>CONCLUSIONS</strong>: This study supported the specific impact of environment on meeting PA recommendations within transportation and leisure time walking in older adults. Out of all perceived neighborhood environmental attributes received from ANEWS questionnaire, only high residential density was positively associated with meeting recommendation within total walking and walking for transport

Reallocating Time from Sedentary Behavior to Light and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity: What Has a Stronger Association with Adiposity in Older Adult Women?

This study is the first to use compositional data analysis to investigate movement behaviors of elderly women and their relationships with fat mass percentage (FM%). The focus of the study is on the associations of time reallocations from sedentary behavior (SB) to light physical activity (LIPA) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with adiposity. Over 400 older adult women were recruited as part of the cross-sectionally conducted measurements of older adults aged 60+ in Central European countries. An accelerometer was used to assess daily movement behaviors. Body mass index (BMI) and fat mass percentage (FM%) were assessed as adiposity indicators using InBody 720 MFBIA. Using LS-regression, we found positive relationships of BMI and FM% with SB (relative to remaining movement behaviors) (p &lt; 0.001 for both), while their relationship with MVPA (relative to remaining movement behaviors) were negative (p &lt; 0.001 for both). The estimated BMI and FM% associated with a 30-min SB-to-MVPA reallocation were reduced by 1.5 kg/m2 and 2.2 percentage points, respectively, whereas they were not reduced significantly with the reallocation of 30 min from SB to LIPA. The findings highlight that SB and MVPA, but not LIPA, are significantly associated with adiposity in elderly women. The reallocation of time from SB to MVPA could be advocated in weight loss interventions in older women

Influence of Nutritional Education on the Diet and Nutritional Behaviors of Elderly Women at the University of the Third Age

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diet composition, body fat content, and physical activity (PA), considering blood lipid levels and insulin resistance markers, in elderly women who were well educated in nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. Methods: A total of 106 postmenopausal women took part in the study. The study group included 62 students from the University of the Third Age (U3A); the control group (CG) included 44 females from the Silesia region. We evaluated their daily macro and micronutrient intake, levels of PA, percent of body fat (PBF), and the visceral fatty area (VFA). We also evaluated the lipid profile, insulin and glucose levels, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Results: Significant differences were observed in carbohydrate, protein, fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals consumption between the U3A group and the CG. There were no differences in the PBF and VFA between the groups. Furthermore, no differences were shown in the measured blood variables. The U3A group walked more than 11,000 steps a day and performed 46.15 min/day of PA with a moderate intensity of 3&ndash;6 metabolic equivalents of task (METs, min/week). Conclusions: Despite the fact that the U3A group were physically active females, well educated on healthy, balanced diets and had the motivation to learn about proper nutritional behaviors, they did not follow these recommendations in everyday life

Comparison of selected prooxidant-antioxidant balance and bone metabolism indicators and BDNF levels between older women with different levels of physical activity

Abstract Background Given a lack of studies precisely indicating how many steps elderly people should take daily for their antioxidant defence, bone metabolism, and cognitive abilities to improve, our study set out to compare the selected antioxidant, prooxidant, bone turnover, and BDNF indicators between elderly women differing in physical activity (PA) measured by the daily number of steps. Methods The PA levels of 62 women aged 72.1 ± 5.4 years were assessed based on their daily number of steps and then were used to allocate the participants to three groups: group I (n = 18; <5,000 steps a day); group II (n = 22; from 5,000 to 9,999 steps a day); and group III (n = 22; ≥10,000 steps a day). Blood samples were collected from the participants in early morning hours and subjected to biochemical analysis for prooxidant-antioxidant balance indicators (SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GSH, UA, MDA and TOS/TOC), bone metabolism indicators (Ca, 25-OH vitamin D, osteocalcin, CTX-I, and PTH), and BDNF levels. Results The groups were not statistically significantly different in the activity of SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR, but their concentrations of GSH (H = 22.10, p < 0.001) and UA (H = 12.20, p = 0.002) proved to be significantly associated with the groups’ daily PA. The between-group differences in the concentrations of MDA and TOS/TOC were not significant, with both these indicators tending to take higher values in group I than in groups II and III. Significant differences between the groups were established for the concentrations of 25-OH vitamin D (H = 24.21, p < 0.001), osteocalcin (H = 7.88, p = 0.019), CTX-I (H = 12.91, p = 0.002), and BDNF (H = 14.47, p = 0.001), but not for Ca and PTH. Conclusions Significantly higher concentrations of GSH, slightly lower oxidative stress indicators, significantly higher BDNF levels, and moderately better bone turnover indicators and resorption markers in the group taking more than 5,000 steps a day suggest that this level of PA can promote successful aging. More research is, however, needed to confirm this finding

Assessment of Quality of Life and Pain Severity in Older Men with Osteoporosis: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The quality of life in osteoporosis is studied for men rather than for women. Aim of the study was to determine how bone mass density (BMD) relates to life quality components and the severity of pain felt by men affected by osteoporosis. Methods: Presented research is a cross-sectional study. The cohort of 62 men aged 65 to 85 years was divided into a group with osteoporosis (N = 27) and a group without osteoporosis (N = 35). The participants’ quality of life was measured with the Qualeffo41 Questionnaire, BMD was quantified by densitometry, and pain intensity was assessed on the Visual Analogue Scale. Results: We found that lower BMD was strongly correlated to participants’ quality of life (r = −0.72), especially the quality of leisure and social activities (r = −0.66), general health perception (r = −0.59), and mobility (r = −0.57). Pain significantly affected general health perception in older men with osteoporosis. General health assessment and pain were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.888). Conclusion: BMD and the overall quality of life of the study participants were related to each other. The strongest relationship occurred between reduced BMD and leisure and social activities component. The pain significantly affected participants’ general health perception. The results may be employed to create new prophylactic strategies to improve life quality in men with osteoporosis