Physical Performance, Cardiovascular Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Older Adults Compared to Oldest-Old Residential Seniors

Alice Minghetti, Lars Donath, Henner Hanssen, Ralf Roth, Eric Lichtenstein, Lukas Zahner and Oliver Faude
Additional contact information
Alice Minghetti: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Lars Donath: Department of Intervention Research in Exercise Training, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, Germany
Henner Hanssen: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Ralf Roth: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Eric Lichtenstein: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Lukas Zahner: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Oliver Faude: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Background: This study analyzed physical, cardiovascular, and psychosocial health in different age groups at the far end of the lifespan. Methods: Sixty-two residential seniors participated in this cross-sectional study and were assigned according to age to either the older adults ( n = 27; age: 74.8 (3.6); f: 23) or the oldest-old group ( n = 35; age: 87.2 (5.0); f: 28). Gait speed, functional mobility, handgrip strength, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured. Additionally, questionnaires to assess quality of life were applied. Mean between-group differences (Δ) and Hedge’s g with 95 % confidence intervals were calculated. Results: Oldest-old had moderately lower handgrip strength (Δ = −31.3 N, 95% CI [−66.30; −1.65], Hedge’s g = 0.49 [−0.97; 0.03]) and relevant lower gait speed than the older adults (Δ = −0.11 m/s [−0.28; 0.05], g = 0.34 [−0.89; 0.20]). All other physical parameters showed trivial differences. Very large effects were found in PWV in favor of the older adults (Δ = −2.65 m/s [−3.26; −2.04], g = −2.14 [−2.81; −1.36]). The questionnaires showed trivial to small differences. Conclusion: We found small differences in physical as well as psychosocial health between age groups with large inter-individual variance. Large differences were found in arterial stiffness, which increases with age. Exercise programs in nursing homes should consider physical, psychosocial, and cardiovascular variables more than age.

Keywords: aging; older adults; nursing homes; quality of life; strength (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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