Current exercise guidelines encourage the daily accumulation of lifestyle activities, such as stair climbing. Although several studies show that visual prompts can increase stair usage, there has been little systematic assessment of the messages employed. Some of the messages used in previous interventions represent general descriptions of stair climbing (e.g. 'free exercise'), while others emp...

This study examined the effect of urbanization on stream hydrology in hillslope watersheds. Ten streams (seven in hillslope and three in gentle slope watersheds) around Austin, Texas were selected for analysis. For each stream, we compared parameters of transfer function (TF) models estimated from daily rainfall and streamflow data collected in two study periods (October 1988–September 1992 and...

INTRODUCTION In this study we investigate the influence of diabetic neuropathy (DN) on lower limb electromyography (EMG) and kinematics during stair negotiation. METHODS Forty-six adults (healthy and DN) performed stair ascent and descent tasks. Kinematic and EMG data were assessed unilaterally. RESULTS DN patients had lower ankle dorsiflexion while ascending and plantarflexion while descen...

BACKGROUND This study tested the effectiveness of a stair use promotion strategy in visible and hidden stairwells during intervention and post intervention follow up. METHODS A quasi-experimental study design was used with a 1 week baseline, a 3 week intervention, and post intervention at 2 and 4 weeks in 4 university buildings in San Antonio, Texas with stairwells varying in visibility. Part...

[Purpose] This study investigated the effect of stepper exercise with visual feedback on strength, walking, and stair climbing in stroke patients. [Subjects] Twenty-six stroke patients were divided randomly into the stepper exercise with visual feedback group (n = 13) or the stepper exercise group (n = 13). [Methods] Subjects in the experimental group received feedback through the mirror during...

BACKGROUND Loss of muscle strength exerts a considerable impact on the quality of life and mortality of older adults. The present household survey study measured body composition and muscle strength with the aim of analyzing the roles of low lean mass, low muscle strength and obesity in stair negotiation ability and the effect of comorbidities on the relationship between body composition and fu...

Carrying loads while walking or using stairs is a common activity of daily living. Knee osteoarthritis is associated with increased external knee adduction moment (KAM) during walking, so understanding how the additional challenges of stairs and carrying loads impact these moments is of value. Sixteen healthy individuals performed three types of MOTION (walking, stair ascent, stair descent) und...

BACKGROUND Although studies have demonstrated that stair prompts are associated with increased physical activity, many were conducted in low-rise buildings over a period of weeks and did not differentiate between stair climbing and descent. PURPOSE This study evaluated the impact of a prompt across different building types, and on stair climbing versus descent over several months. METHODS I...

Individuals with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are at increased risk to develop knee osteoarthritis (OA). Gait analysis describing kinetics of the lower extremity during walking and stair use (stair ascent and stair descent) can provide insight to everyday dynamic knee joint loading. In this study, we compared lower extremity gait patterns of those with ACL reconstruction (>1 ...