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Balance and gait performance in an urban and a rural population

Ringsberg, K A ; Gardsell, P ; Johnell, Olof LU ; Jonsson, Brynjolfur LU ; Obrant, Karl LU and Sernbo, Ingemar LU (1998) In Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 46(1). p.65-70
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in standing balance and gait performance between two populations, correlated with age and physical activities of daily living. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, and Sjobo, a typical agricultural community 60 km east of Malmo. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 570 men and women from the urban community (urban) and 391 from the rural community (rural), born in 1938, 1928, 1918, and 1908, and women born in 1948. The two cohorts were subdivided into true urbans, who had lived only in the city (n = 269), and true rurals, who had never lived in a city (n = 354). MEASUREMENTS: Information about workload, housing, spare time activities, medication, and illness... (More)
OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in standing balance and gait performance between two populations, correlated with age and physical activities of daily living. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, and Sjobo, a typical agricultural community 60 km east of Malmo. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 570 men and women from the urban community (urban) and 391 from the rural community (rural), born in 1938, 1928, 1918, and 1908, and women born in 1948. The two cohorts were subdivided into true urbans, who had lived only in the city (n = 269), and true rurals, who had never lived in a city (n = 354). MEASUREMENTS: Information about workload, housing, spare time activities, medication, and illness during different decades of life was gathered using two questionnaires. The first questionnaire was sent to the home after agreement to participate, and the second was presented at the test session. The clinical measurements were standing balance, gait speed, and step length. RESULTS: The urban subjects had significantly (P < .001) impaired balance compared with rural subjects. This difference increased with increasing age. The urban subjects walked faster than the rural subjects (P < .001), and the urban subjects used fewer steps than their rural counterparts (P < .001). Spare time activities had a significant influence on the above tests, but, except for gait velocity (P = .011), workload was of minor importance according to analysis of covariance. CONCLUSION: Background factors such as usual daily activities of living and lifestyle seem to be of importance when evaluating and comparing different populations with respect to their balance and gait performance. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
volume
46
issue
1
pages
65 - 70
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:9434667
  • scopus:2642651915
ISSN
0002-8614
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
546cd8a8-084d-4b04-a62d-6283d7a72eeb (old id 1113211)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:36:58
date last changed
2024-03-25 07:49:09
@article{546cd8a8-084d-4b04-a62d-6283d7a72eeb,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in standing balance and gait performance between two populations, correlated with age and physical activities of daily living. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, and Sjobo, a typical agricultural community 60 km east of Malmo. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 570 men and women from the urban community (urban) and 391 from the rural community (rural), born in 1938, 1928, 1918, and 1908, and women born in 1948. The two cohorts were subdivided into true urbans, who had lived only in the city (n = 269), and true rurals, who had never lived in a city (n = 354). MEASUREMENTS: Information about workload, housing, spare time activities, medication, and illness during different decades of life was gathered using two questionnaires. The first questionnaire was sent to the home after agreement to participate, and the second was presented at the test session. The clinical measurements were standing balance, gait speed, and step length. RESULTS: The urban subjects had significantly (P &lt; .001) impaired balance compared with rural subjects. This difference increased with increasing age. The urban subjects walked faster than the rural subjects (P &lt; .001), and the urban subjects used fewer steps than their rural counterparts (P &lt; .001). Spare time activities had a significant influence on the above tests, but, except for gait velocity (P = .011), workload was of minor importance according to analysis of covariance. CONCLUSION: Background factors such as usual daily activities of living and lifestyle seem to be of importance when evaluating and comparing different populations with respect to their balance and gait performance.}},
  author       = {{Ringsberg, K A and Gardsell, P and Johnell, Olof and Jonsson, Brynjolfur and Obrant, Karl and Sernbo, Ingemar}},
  issn         = {{0002-8614}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{65--70}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of the American Geriatrics Society}},
  title        = {{Balance and gait performance in an urban and a rural population}},
  volume       = {{46}},
  year         = {{1998}},
}