To identify activity patterns of residents in homes for the elderly in Alexandria, we carried out a study on 188 elderly persons in 4 homes (2 governmental and 2 private). Participants were interviewed individually using a structured interview schedule. Each home was visited daily for 1 week in order to assess the type of activities provided and the participation. Performance of activities was ...

The rapid decline in young children's active commutes to and from school has prompted investigations into ways to raise activity levels. The period after school is recognized as very important in the daily activity regime of primary school children. In this study, we examine the relative effects of local environmental factors and socio-economic status on children's after-school commute mode cho...

BACKGROUND This study investigates the influence of school playground facilities on children's daily physical activity. METHODS Participants were 594 school children measured at preschool (age 6 to 7 years) and 3 years later in third grade (518 children age 9 to 10 years) from 18 schools in 2 suburban municipalities in Denmark. Physical activity data were obtained using accelerometers. These ...

OBJECTIVES To develop an evidence and theory-based complex intervention for improving outcomes in elderly patients following hip fracture. DESIGN Complex-intervention development (Medical Research Council (MRC) framework phase I) using realist literature review, surveys and focus groups of patients and rehabilitation teams. SETTING North Wales. PARTICIPANTS Surveys of therapy managers (n=...

The objectives of this prospective cohort study, conducted in New Haven, Connecticut, from 1998 to 2004, were to describe disability states experienced by older persons, to evaluate the rate of transitions between states and the duration of disability episodes, and to determine whether these findings differ on the basis of physical frailty--a condition of low physical capacity and vulnerability...

OBJECTIVES To compare the prediction of cognitive functioning by formal education and self-rated literacy and the differences in prediction across younger and older cohorts. METHOD Data on 28,535 respondents were drawn from a cross-sectional representative sample of community-dwelling older individuals (≥50), participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. Education l...

Daily food intake in rats was temporarily reduced by the introduction of an activity wheel and temporarily increased by the subsequent removal of the wheel. When this outcome is coupled with the positive relation between food deprivation and running-and food deprivation is seen as a loss of eating rather than as a physiological state-there is the suggestion that the total behavior output of the...

PURPOSE To identify inexpensive, noninvasive, portable, clinical assessment tools that can be used to assess functional performance measures that may put older patients at risk for falls such as balance, handgrip strength, and lumbopelvic control. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty fragility fracture patients and 21 healthy control subjects were evaluated using clinical assessment tools (Nintendo Wi...

OBJECTIVES To examine physical activity (PA) in multiple contexts (household, walking, and leisure-time PA) and blood pressure (BP) across gender and income among older adults living independently. METHODS A convenience sample of 372 older adults completed 2 BP measurements and PA questionnaires. RESULTS Older adults with high incomes (≥$30,000) engaged in less household activity, more leis...