Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “walking pace”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Pilot study comparing physical and psychological responses in medical qigong and walking.

Identifying alternative exercise modalities in an effort to stimulate and promote participation in physical activity, especially among older adults, is a critical health consideration. The purpose of this study was to compare physiological and psychological responses to medical qigong with self-paced brisk walking. Older women (55-79 years) performed 22 min of either qigong or walking on two separate days. During exercise performance, heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion were assessed. Psychological affect, blood pressure, and pulse rate were assessed before and after the exercise bouts. Heart-rate data indicated that both forms of exercise were at a moderate level of intensity. In addition, similar values were found for the physiological and psychological variables as a function of the two forms of exercise. Therefore, it was concluded that this form of medical qigong can be considered a moderate-intensity physical activity that should have both physiological and psychological benefits for older women.

Affect↗
PubMed1997

The relationship between premorbid life-style and wandering behaviors in institutionalized people with dementia.

Forty-nine ambulatory residents participated in a study conducted to determine the relationship between premorbid life-style, work, and ways of handling stress, and wandering in dementia units. The sample consisted of 23 males and 26 females with a mean age of 79. Family members responded to open-ended questionnaires that asked about premorbid leisure activities, hobbies, exercise, stress management, type of employment and social interactions. Activities were ranked according to energy expended on the Metabolic Cost of Activities (MET) Scale. No activity equaled Inactive (0); 1.5-2 METS equaled Mildly Active (1), 2-3 METS equaled Moderately Active (2), and 3-4 METS equaled Very Active (3). Subjects were observed three times for one-hour intervals on each of three shifts (day, evening, night) at randomly selected times to assess wandering behavior. Behavior was logged every five minutes. The subjects' most frequent conditions were awake (21%), alone (20%), and in their own rooms (17%). Twenty-four (50%) of the subjects were observed pacing, and 16 (33%) were agitated/restless at some point in time. Statistical analyses showed no significant correlations between premorbid life-style variable rankings and the amount of time spent standing, walking and pacing. The findings suggest that wandering behavior is not influenced by premorbid life-styles.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Physiological and metabolic responses to a hill walk.

The physiological and metabolic demands of hill walking have not been studied systematically in the field despite the potentially deleterious physiological consequences of activity sustained over an entire day. On separate occasions, 13 subjects completed a self-paced hill walk over 12 km, consisting of a range of gradients and terrain typical of a mountainous walk. During the hill walk, continuous measurements of rectal (T(re)) and skin (T(sk)) temperatures and of respiratory gas exchange were made to calculate the total energy expenditure. Blood samples, for the analysis of metabolites and hormones, were taken before breakfast and lunch and immediately after the hill walk. During the first 5 km of the walk (100- to 902-m elevation), T(re) increased (36.9 +/- 0.2 to 38.5 +/- 0.4 degrees C) with a subsequent decrease in mean T(sk) from this time point. T(re) decreased by approximately 1.0 degrees C during a 30-min stop for lunch, and it continued to decrease a further 0.5 degrees C after walking recommenced. The total energy intake from both breakfast and lunch [5.6 +/- 0.7 (SE) MJ] was lower than the energy expended [14.5 +/- 0.5 (SE) MJ; P < 0.001] during the 12-km hill walk. Despite the difference in energy intake and expenditure, blood glucose concentration was maintained. The major source of energy was an enhanced fat oxidation, probably from adipose tissue lipolysis reflected in high plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentrations. The major observations were the varying thermoregulatory responses and the negative energy balance incurred during the hill walk. It is concluded that recreational hill walking can constitute a significant metabolic and thermoregulatory strain on participants.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Treadmill walking in old age may not reproduce the real life situation.

OBJECTIVE: In a preliminary study in our laboratory, healthy elderly people had a higher heart rate during treadmill walking than during corridor walking at the same speed. The objective of this study was to determine whether this initial observation, (1) persisted after repeated testing, (2) was present in younger adults, (3) was due to wearing a mouthpiece during treadmill walking, or (4) was due to a change in gait. DESIGN: A study of elderly and young volunteers undergoing repeated testing, with comparison of treadmill walking with corridor walking. SETTING: The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve healthy elderly (71-80 years) and 12 healthy young (21-37 years) volunteers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Heart rate (beats/min) and step rate (steps/min) during comfortable self-paced corridor walking and during treadmill walking at the same speed. MAIN RESULTS: The elderly subjects had higher heart rates during treadmill walking than during corridor walking at the same speed (mean difference = 6 beats/min, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1 to 10). This difference increased (to a mean of 11 beats/min, 95% CI = 5 to 16) when a mouthpiece was worn on the treadmill. These differences persisted after repeated testing. The young subjects did not have higher heart rates on the treadmill, (with or without the mouthpiece). In both groups, step rate was lower (95% CI = -9 to -2, elderly; -5 to -2, young) during treadmill walking, corresponding to a 3% increase in stride length. CONCLUSION: The heart rate response to treadmill walking in healthy elderly people may be less representative of the "real life" situation than in younger adults.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The effect of therapeutic touch on agitated behavior and cortisol in persons with Alzheimer's disease.

Agitated behavior in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a challenge to current interventions. Recent developments in neuroendocrinology suggest that changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis alter the responses of persons with AD to stress. Given the deleterious effects of pharmacological interventions in this vulnerable population, it is essential to explore noninvasive treatments for their potential to decrease a hyperresponsiveness to stress and indirectly decrease detrimental cortisol levels. This within-subject, interrupted time-series study was conducted to test the efficacy of therapeutic touch on decreasing the frequency of agitated behavior and salivary and urine cortisol levels in persons with AD. Ten subjects who were 71 to 84 years old and resided in a special care unit were observed every 20 minutes for 10 hours a day, were monitored 24 hours a day for physical activity, and had samples for salivary and urine cortisol taken daily. The study occurred in 4 phases: 1) baseline (4 days), 2) treatment (therapeutic touch for 5 to 7 minutes 2 times a day for 3 days), 3) posttreatment (11 days), and 4) post- "wash-out" (3 days). An analysis of variance for repeated measures indicated a significant decrease in overall agitated behavior and in 2 specific behaviors, vocalization and pacing or walking, during treatment and posttreatment. A decreasing trend over time was notedfor salivary and urine cortisol. Although this study does not provide direct clinical evidence to support dysregulation in the HPA axis, it does suggest that environmental and behavioral interventions such as therapeutic touch have the potential to decrease vocalization and pacing, 2 prevalent behaviors, and may mitigate cortisol levels in persons with AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Peripheral arterial disease in African Americans: clinical characteristics, leg symptoms, and lower extremity functioning.

OBJECTIVES: The describe peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in African Americans, and compare findings in African Americans and whites with PAD. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Three academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred sixty-six whites and 76 African Americans with PAD (as defined by an ankle brachial index (ABI) <0.90) aged 55 and older identified from lower extremity arterial studies performed between 1996 and the fall of 1999. MEASUREMENTS: Comprehensive medical interview, body mass index, and neuropathy score. Functional measurements included the 6-minute walk distance, 4-m walking velocity, and the summary performance score. RESULTS: Age- and sex-adjusted results showed that African Americans had a lower mean ABI than whites (0.60 vs 0.66, P=.001), were less likely to be college graduates (13.7% vs 44.4%, P<.001), and had nearly twice the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (46.8% vs 28.0%, P=.001). After adjusting for age, sex, education level, and ABI, African Americans had a higher prevalence of no exertional leg pain (28.0% vs 18.2%, P=.044) and leg pain with exertion and rest (30.0% vs 17.3%, P=.023). African Americans had a shorter 6-minute walk distance (989 vs 1,156 ft, P<.001), a slower normal-pace 4-m walking velocity (0.79 vs 0.89 m/s, P<.001), a slower fast-pace 4-m walking velocity (1.12 vs 1.20 m/s, P=.012), and a lower summary performance score (8.8 vs 9.6, P=.018) than whites. These differences in functioning were attenuated after adjusting for age, sex, ABI, education, and leg symptoms. CONCLUSION: Poorer lower extremity functioning in African Americans was largely explained by differences in leg symptoms and, to a somewhat lesser degree, lower ABI levels and poorer education in African Americans than in whites. Further study is needed to determine whether these findings affect racial treatment disparities and poorer outcomes previously reported in African Americans than in whites with PAD.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1995

Effects of resistance training on strength, power, and selected functional abilities of women aged 75 and older.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of 12 weeks of progressive resistance strength training on the isometric strength, explosive power, and selected functional abilities of healthy women aged 75 and over. DESIGN: Subjects were matched for age and habitual physical activity and then randomly assigned into either a control or an exercise group. SETTING: The Muscle Function Laboratory, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two healthy women were recruited through local and national newspapers. Five dropped out before and seven (4 exercisers and 3 controls) during the study. Pre- and posttraining measurements were obtained from 20 exercisers (median age 79.5, range 76 to 93 years) and 20 controls (median age 79.5, range 75 to 90 years). INTERVENTIONS: Training comprised one supervised session (1 hour) at the Medical School and two unsupervised home sessions (supported by an exercise tape and booklet) per week for 12 weeks. The training stimulus was three sets of four to eight repetitions of each exercise, using rice bags (1-1.5 kg) or elastic tubing for resistance. The exercises were intended specifically to strengthen the muscles considered relevant for the functional tasks, but were not to mimic the functional measurements. No intervention was prescribed for the controls. MEASUREMENTS: Pre- and posttraining measurements were made for isometric knee extensor strength (IKES), isometric elbow flexor strength (IEFS), handgrip strength (HGS), leg extensor power (LEP), and anthropometric indices (Body impedance analysis, arm muscle circumference, and body weight). Functional ability tests were chair rise, kneel rise, rise from lying on the floor, 118-m self-paced corridor walk, stair climbing, functional reach, stepping up, stepping down, and lifting weights onto a shelf. Pre- and posttraining comparisons were made using analysis of variance or analysis of covariance (using weight as a covariate) for normally distributed continuous data and one-sided Fishers exact test (2 x 2 table) for discontinuous data. RESULTS: Improvements in IKES (mean change 27%, P = .03), IEFS (22%, P = .05), HGS (4%, P = .05), LEP/kg (18%, P = .05) were associated with training, but the improvement in LEP (18%, P = .11) did not reach statistical significance. There was an association between training and a reduction in normal pace kneel rise time (median change 21%, P = .02) and a small improvement in step up height (median 5%, P = .005). The other functional tests did not improve. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive resistance exercise can produce substantial increases in muscle strength and in power standardized for body weight in healthy, very old women. However, isolated increases in strength and LEP/kg may confer only limited functional benefit in healthy, independent, very old women.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Physical activity and coronary heart disease in women: is "no pain, no gain" passé?

CONTEXT: Physically active women have lower coronary heart disease (CHD) rates than inactive women. However, whether the association differs by intensity of activity or in women at high risk for CHD is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between physical activity, specifically investigating walking (a light-to-moderate activity depending on pace), and CHD among women, including those at high risk for CHD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cohort study of 39 372 healthy female health professionals aged 45 years or older, enrolled throughout the United States between September 1992 and May 1995, with follow-up to March 1999. Recreational activities, including walking and stair climbing, were reported at study entry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Correlation of CHD with energy expended on all activities, vigorous activities, and walking. RESULTS: A total of 244 cases of CHD occurred. Adjusting for potential confounders, the relative risks (RRs) of CHD for less than 200, 200-599, 600-1499, and 1500 or more kcal/wk expended on all activities were 1.00 (referent), 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-1.12), 0.55 (95% CI, 0.37-0.82), and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.50-1.12), respectively (P for linear trend =.03). Vigorous activities were associated with lower risk (RR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.38-1.04 comparing highest and lowest categories). Walking also predicted lower risk among women without vigorous activities. Among these women, the multivariate RRs for walking 1 to 59 min/wk, 1.0 to 1.5 h/wk, and 2 or more h/wk, compared with no regular walking, were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.57-1.29), 0.49 (95% CI, 0.28-0.86), and 0.48 (95% CI, 0.29-0.78), respectively. For walking paces of less than 3.2 km/h (2.0 mph), 3.2 to 4.7 km/h (2.0-2.9 mph), and 4.8 km/h (3.0 mph) or more, compared with no regular walking, RRs were 0.56 (95% CI, 0.32-0.97), 0.71 (95% CI, 0.47-1.05), and 0.52 (95% CI, 0.30-0.90), respectively. When analyzed simultaneously, time spent walking (P for linear trend =.01) but not walking pace (P for linear trend =.55) predicted lower risk. The inverse association between physical activity and CHD risk did not differ by weight or cholesterol levels (P for interaction =.95 and.71, respectively), but there were significant interactions by smoking and hypertension status. Physical activity was inversely related to risk in current smokers but not hypertensive women (P for interaction =.01 and.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that even light-to-moderate activity is associated with lower CHD rates in women. At least 1 hour of walking per week predicted lower risk. The inverse association with physical activity was also present in women at high risk for CHD, including those who were overweight, had increased cholesterol levels, or were smokers.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2001

Analgesic effect of etidronate on degenerative joint disease.

In the present study, 80 patients with degenerative joint disease, spondylosis deformans, and/or osteoarthritis of the knee with back or joint pain, especially on movement and strain, were randomly divided into four groups. Group A received no etidronate, while groups B, C and D received 66, 133 and 200 mg/day etidronate, respectively, for 12 months. Every 3 months, after evaluating subjective pain on a visual rating scale (VRS), skin impedance was measured with subjects in a quiet sitting position and with the application of various strains on the spine and knee, including standing up from quiet sitting on a chair, bending forward to flex the spine, squatting to flex the knee, walking 20 paces on a flat floor, ascending 10 stair steps and descending 10 stair steps. A dose related improvement of subjective pain on the VRS with a parallel decrease in the percentage fall in skin impedance was noted. The intra-individual coefficients of variation (CV) of L1-L4 bone mineral density (BMD) on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were calculated as a possible index for spondylotic changes before and after treatment as an indication of spondylotic deformity, because no established method is yet available to evaluate such changes objectively. A dose-related decrease in CV of BMD was also noted, parallel to the analgesic effect.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Exercise capability in heart failure: is cardiac output important after all?

The exercise capability of 39 patients with severe chronic heart failure was assessed in several ways and compared with measurements of cardiac output. The relation between cardiac index and exercise tolerance measured on a treadmill was poor (r = 0.191, p = 0.245). However, exercise tolerance measured with a series of self-paced corridor walk tests showed moderate correlations with cardiac index (r = -0.404, p = 0.015 to r = -0.516, p = 0.001) and customary activity assessed by step counting correlated better with cardiac index (r = 0.537, p less than 0.001). Cardiac output therefore seems to be a factor determining patients' exercise capability when they choose their own walking speed but not when they undergo formal treadmill tests in the laboratory.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

The multiple sclerosis functional composite: different practice effects in the three test components.

BACKGROUND: The multiple sclerosis functional composite (MSFC) is a multidimensional, MS-specific outcome measure for use in clinical trials, comprising three tests: timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), paced auditory serial addition (PASAT), and 9-hole peg (9HP). OBJECTIVE: To assess interrater and intrarater reliability and practice/fatigue effects in the MSFC. METHODS: The MSFC was administered by two neurologists after a formal training session to 32 MS outpatients. Patients were assessed four times by one examiner and twice by the other. The six tests were administered in a single day, with at least 20 min of rest between them. The examiners were blinded to the results of previous assessments. Testing order was random. RESULTS: Interrater reliability was excellent, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) ranging from 0.93 for 9HP (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84-0.96) to 0.99 for T25FW (95% CI 0.97-0.99). For intrarater reliability, ICC ranged from 0.93 for PASAT (95% CI 0.82-0.97) to 0.98 for T25FW (95% CI 0.93-1.00). We found no practice effect for T25FW after the first administration. However, performance improved with testing over the first three sessions for PASAT and over the first four sessions for 9HP. CONCLUSIONS: The MSFC is characterised by excellent reliability. Practice effects for the three MSFC components differed, being negligible for T25FW and evident for PASAT and 9HP. To improve efficiency, we suggest one prebaseline administration of T25FW, three of PASAT and four of 9HP.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Effects of amlodipine in patients with chronic heart failure.

The role of calcium antagonists in patients with ischemic heart failure is currently unclear. We examined the effects of amlodipine on exercise capacity and central and regional hemodynamics in 32 patients with mild to moderate chronic heart failure in a single-center, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. All were taking at least 40 mg of furosemide daily with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Ischemic heart disease was the most common cause of heart failure, but no patient had symptom-limiting angina. Mean treadmill exercise capacity in patients taking amlodipine increased by 96 seconds (95% confidence interval -23 to 215) and 50 seconds (-34 to 135) in the placebo group; mean difference in change between treatments was 70 seconds (-90 to 233), p = 0.38. Active treatment with amlodipine did not affect self-paced corridor walking times. Similarly, there were no significant effects on cardiac output, oxygen uptake, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure at rest or during exercise. Calf and renal blood flow were also unchanged by treatment. The lack of significant effect demonstrated by these data suggests a limited role for amlodipine in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, although it may prove beneficial in those with nonischemic disease. More data are required before amlodipine can be recommended for all patients with chronic heart failure.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Energy expenditure during gait using the walkabout and isocentric reciprocal gait orthoses in persons with paraplegia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the energy expenditure during walking using the Walkabout Orthosis (WO) and the Isocentric Reciprocal Gait Orthosis (IRGO) in persons with paraplegia. DESIGN: A randomized cross-over design. PATIENTS: Ten individuals with complete T9-12 paraplegia. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects were trained to walk using the WO and the IRGO with elbow crutches. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects' energy expenditures during walking using each orthosis over three different terrains--flat tile, flat carpet, and 4 degrees uphill ramp--were compared. Data collected included expired ventilation (L/min), heart rate (beats/ min), speed of walking (m/min), oxygen uptake (VO2; L/min and mL/kg/min), oxygen cost (O2 cost; mL/kg/m), and Physical Cost Index (PCI; beats/m). Subjects walked at a self-selected pace. RESULTS: Subjects walked significantly slower with the WO than with the IRGO, regardless of the surface (p < .05). The average speed of walking ranged from 5.2+/-1.3 for the WO on the tiled surface to 11.5+/-2.3m/min for the IRGO on the carpeted surface. Despite marked differences in self-selected walking speeds between the two orthoses, there were no differences in either heart rate or VO2 among orthoses or surfaces. However, the O2 cost of gait was significantly greater for the WO (range, 3.95 to 4.91mL/kg/m) compared with the IRGO (range, 1.6 to 1.8mL/kg/m). Likewise, the PCI was significantly greater using the WO (range, 8.4 to 10.3beats/m) than the IRGO (range, 4.3 to 7.0beats/m). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the metabolic demands of walking with the WO are greater than walking with the IRGO in individuals with T9-12 paraplegia.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Positive coping and mastery in a rehabilitation setting.

The objective of this study was to examine the predictive value of positive coping in relation to behavioral outcomes. Positive coping focuses on goal setting and preparative behavior in response to distress. The participants were 228 in-patients in a rehabilitation hospital following joint replacement. The average age of participants was 67.3 years old, 71% were women and two-thirds were married. Sixty percent had a hip replacement and 40% had a knee replacement. The study was designed so that at Time 1, two scales were used: the proactive coping subscale of the Proactive Coping Inventory and the Getting on with Life scale. Proactive coping measures future-oriented planning and goal-setting strategies that an individual develops when confronting stress. Getting on with Life assesses feelings about resuming activities and social relationships that give one day-to-day pleasure. At Time 2, behavioral outcomes were assessed using the 2-Minute Walk (2 MW) Test and a functional independence measure. In the 2 MW Test, participants were instructed to walk at a comfortable pace and the distance walked in 2 min was measured in meters. The functional independence measure was based on average ratings of participants' independence behavior by trained hospital personnel in different areas. Results indicated that proactive coping and Getting on with Life were significantly related to behavioral outcomes. In conclusion, the results illustrate the value of positive coping in a rehabilitation setting.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

The sensitivity of three commonly used outcome measures to detect change amongst patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation following stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sensitivity of three commonly used functional outcome measures to detect change over time in subjects receiving inpatient rehabilitation post stroke. DESIGN: Subjects were assessed within one week of admission and one week of discharge from an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Several parameters of sensitivity were calculated, including floor and ceiling effects, the percentage of subjects showing no change and the effect size of the change between admission and discharge. SETTING: The medical rehabilitation ward of an inpatient rehabilitation facility. SUBJECTS: Seventy-eight subjects receiving inpatient rehabilitation following a first or recurrent stroke. MEASURES: Five-metre walk, comfortable pace (gait speed), the Berg Balance Scale and the Motor Assessment Scale. RESULTS: Sixty-one subjects had complete admission and discharge data. Gait speed and the Berg Balance Scale were both sensitive to change and demonstrated large effect sizes. The Motor Assessment Scale item five also showed a large effect size and was able to detect change amongst lower functioning subjects. The other items of the Motor Assessment Scale were less useful, in particular, the effect sizes for upper extremity change scores were small (d=0.36-0.5) and the majority of subjects (44.3-63.9%) showed no change over time on these measures. CONCLUSION: Gait speed, the Berg Balance Scale and the Motor Assessment Scale item five were sensitive to change over time in this sample.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Validity of accelerometry for measurement of activity in people with brain injury.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the validity of a uniaxial accelerometer (MTI Actigraph) for measuring physical activity in people with acquired brain injury (ABI) using portable indirect calorimetry (Cosmed K4b(2)) as a criterion measure. METHODS: Fourteen people with ABI and related gait pattern impairment (age 32 +/- 8 yr) wore an MTI Actigraph that measured activity (counts.min(-1)) and a Cosmed K4b(2) that measured oxygen consumption (mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) during four activities: quiet sitting (QS) and comfortable paced (CP), brisk paced (BP), and fast paced (FP) walking. MET levels were predicted from Actigraph counts using a published equation and compared with Cosmed measures. Predicted METs for each of the 56 activity bouts (14 participants x 4 bouts) were classified (light, moderate, vigorous, or very vigorous intensity) and compared with Cosmed-based classifications. RESULTS: Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that walking condition intensities were significantly different (P < 0.05) and the Actigraph detected the differences. Overall correlation between measured and predicted METs was positive, moderate, and significant (r = 0.74). Mean predicted METs were not significantly different from measured for CP and BP, but for FP walking, predicted METs were significantly less than measured (P < 0.05). The Actigraph correctly classified intensity for 76.8% of all activity bouts and 91.5% of light- and moderate-intensity bouts. CONCLUSIONS: Actigraph counts provide a valid index of activity across the intensities investigated in this study. For light to moderate activity, Actigraph-based estimates of METs are acceptable for group-level analysis and are a valid means of classifying activity intensity. The Actigraph significantly underestimated higher intensity activity, although, in practice, this limitation will have minimal impact on activity measurement of most community-dwelling people with ABI.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of therapeutic touch on behavioral symptoms of persons with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 80% of nursing home residents who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and related dementia develop behavioral symptoms of dementia. Given the deleterious side effects of pharmacologic therapy in this population there is an urgent need for clinical trials of nonpharmacologic interventions. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of therapeutic touch on the frequency and intensity of behavioral symptoms of dementia. METHOD: A randomized, double-blind, three-group experimental study: experimental (therapeutic touch), placebo (placebo therapeutic touch), and control (usual care). Fifty-seven residents, aged 67 to 93 years, exhibiting behavioral symptoms of dementia, were randomized to one of the three groups within each of three Special Care Units within three Long-Term Care facilities in a western Canadian province. Behavioral observation was completed every 20 minutes from 8:00AM to 6:00PM for three days pre-intervention and for three days post-intervention by trained observers who were blind to group assignment. The intervention consisted of therapeutic touch given twice daily for 5-7 minutes for three days between 10:00AM and 11:30PM and between 3:00PM and 4:30PM (N = 57). The main outcome variable was overall behavioral symptoms of dementia, consisting of six categories of behaviors: manual manipulation (restlessness), escape restraints, searching and wandering, tapping and banging, pacing and walking, and vocalization. RESULTS: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) (F = 3.331, P = .033) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (chi2 = 6.661, P = .036) indicated a significant difference in overall behavioral symptoms of dementia, manual manipulation and vocalization when the experimental group was compared to the placebo and control groups. The experimental (significant) was more effective in decreasing behavioral symptoms of dementia than usual care, while the placebo group indicated a decreasing trend in behavioral symptoms of dementia compared to usual care. CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic touch offers a nonpharmacological, clinically relevant modality that could be used to decrease behavioral symptoms of dementia, specifically manual manipulation (restlessness) and vocalization, two prevalent behaviors.

Aged↗
PubMed2007

Gait characterisation and classification in horses.

Although a large number of foot-fall sequences are possible in quadrupeds, few sequences are routinely used. The aim of this paper is to characterise, by foot-fall pattern, the gaits used by horses and develop a novel technique to classify symmetric and asymmetric gaits using one common criterion. To achieve this speed and relative foot-fall, timings of all four limbs of eight Icelandic horses were measured using accelerometers. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was performed to find criteria that are optimal for discriminating between the different gaits. This also allowed us to evaluate whether gaits should be considered a continuum or as discrete entities. Foot-fall timings (stance times, swing times, duty factors and stride frequencies) for walk, tolt, trot, pace, left canter, right canter, left gallop and right gallop during over-ground locomotion at a range of speeds are presented. In the gaits of walk, tolt, trot and pace, foot-fall timings were equal between left and right hindlimbs and forelimbs so these gaits can be considered as symmetrical. Differences in stance times and duty factors were observed between gaits but are unlikely to be of biological significance due to their similar magnitude and inconsistent relative trends. This implies that metabolics or peak limb forces derived from contact times are unlikely to be the principal driving factors in gait transition between walk, trot, pace, canters and gallops, although these factors may influence the use of tolt at the lower and higher speeds. Gaits did cluster in the LDA space and the running gaits (tolt, trot, pace, left and right canters and gallops) could be considered a kinematic continuum but the relative relationship with walk may be more complex. Thus, LDA analysis has enabled common criteria to be discovered to accurately classify equine gaits on the basis of foot-fall timings on a stride-by-stride basis.

Animals↗