Aibar-Almazán, A, Martínez-Amat, A, Cruz-Díaz, D, Jesús de la Torre-Cruz, M, Jiménez-García, JD, Zagalaz-Anula, N, Redecillas-Peiró, MT, Mendoza-Ladrón de Guevara, N, and Hita-Contreras, F. The influence of Pilates exercises on body composition, muscle strength, and gait speed in community-dwelling older women: a randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 36(8): 2298-2305, 2022-Population aging is a global phenomenon that has wide-ranging consequences for the health of individuals, including age-related obesity, muscle loss, and a decline in muscle strength and gait speed. These alterations are associated with disability, functional decline, and mortality in older adults. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of Pilates exercises on body composition, handgrip strength, and physical performance among community-dwelling Spanish women aged 60 and older. A randomized controlled trial of a 12-week Pilates training program was conducted. A total of 109 women were randomly allocated to either a control ( n = 54) or a Pilates ( n = 55) group. Body composition was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance. Body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat, and height-adjusted skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were assessed before and immediately after the intervention, as were physical performance, estimated by gait speed (timed up-and-go test), and handgrip strength. Statistically significant improvements ( p < 0.05) were observed both within and between groups for handgrip strength (Cohen's d = 0.40 and 0.52 respectively) and gait speed (Cohen's d = 0.86 and 0.87 respectively). After 12 weeks, BMI significantly decreased (Cohen's d = 0.07) only in the Pilates group. No significant differences were observed regarding SMI. In conclusion, a 12-week Pilates exercise intervention on community dwelling women over 60 years old shows beneficial effects on muscle strength, physical performance, and BMI, but failed to induce any changes on body composition.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a home-based occupational therapy telerehabilitation (TR) via smartphone in enhancing functional and motor performance and fall efficacy for outpatients receiving day hospital rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery in Hong Kong.

Methods: This was a feasibility randomised controlled trial with two groups - an experimental group and a comparison group - and a sample of 31 older adults attending a geriatric day hospital who had undergone hip fracture surgery within 12 weeks of diagnosis. Patients were assessed at baseline, immediately after a three-week intervention and at three-week post-intervention follow-up for motor performance, activities of daily living (ADL) functioning and fall efficacy. The experimental group received a home programme using the Caspar Health e-system and a mobile app for smartphones, while the comparison group received paper-and-pencil instructions for the home programme on a weekly basis for three weeks.

Results: Compared to the comparison group, significant improvements in fall efficacy and instrumental ADL performance at post intervention and follow-up were found in the experimental group. However, in the comparison group, inadequate social support was a factor contributing to better muscle strength testing in both the affected and non-affected legs. There were no significant differences between the two groups in regard to the other variables.

Discussion: This study supports the potential use of TR via smartphone as an alternative home programme for use in occupational therapy practice with older adults after hip fracture surgery.

Objectives: Normal aging involves progressive prefrontal declines and impairments in executive control. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of an executive-control training focusing on working memory and inhibition, in healthy older adults, and to explore the role of individual differences in baseline capacities and motivation in explaining training gains.

Methods: Forty-four healthy older adults were randomly assigned to an experimental (training executive control) or active control group (training processing speed). Participants completed six online training sessions distributed across two weeks. Transfer effects to working memory (Operation Span test), response inhibition (Stop-Signal test), processing speed (Pattern Comparison) and reasoning (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices and Cattell Culture Fair test) were evaluated. Furthermore, we explored individual differences in baseline capacities and assessed motivation during and after the intervention.

Results: The experimental group, but not the active control, showed significant transfer to response inhibition. Moreover, a general compensation effect was found: older adults with lower baseline capacities achieved higher levels of training improvement. Motivation was not related to training performance.

Conclusion: Our results encourage the use of executive control training to improve cognitive functions, reveal the importance of individual differences in training-related gains, and provide further support for cognitive plasticity during healthy aging.

Context: Yoga improves quality of life in elders ≥65 years, but studies among elders with chronic pain are limited.

Objective: Conduct a feasibility study of gentle yoga among elders in assisted and independent living.

Design: Single arm pre/post clinical trial.

Subjects: Adults (≥65 years of age) with self-identified chronic pain (≥3 on a 10-point scale, lasting for ≥3 months) and no current yoga practice.

Intervention: Ten weekly 60-min gentle yoga classes tailored to elderly adults.

Outcome measures: At baseline, weeks 5, 10 (end of intervention), and 20 (follow-up), we collected data on feasibility (adherence, retention, safety), pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and physical function.

Results: Twenty-six participants enrolled (88% women, 77% white, 58% in assisted living) with average age of 86.6 ± 4.4 (Mean, STD). Twenty participants completed the intervention, with 90% adhering (completing ≥6 classes). Nine participants (45% of completers) experienced adverse events, which were non-serious and related to transient musculoskeletal pain. No adverse events resulted in study withdrawal. Participants reported being somewhat likely to recommend yoga to a friend, and quite a bit likely to do yoga again. At the end of the intervention, four of twenty participants reported practicing yoga outside of class. Anxiety significantly decreased from 5.80 (SE=0.90) to 4.44 (SE=0.74) (p = 0.014), but there were no changes in other measures.

Conclusions: Our pilot 10-week yoga study was generally safe for and suitable to assisted and independent living elderly adults. Future studies are needed to examine other effects of yoga in assisted/independent living adults with chronic pain.

Older adults commonly experience difficulties efficiently searching the Internet, which can adversely affect daily functioning. This study specifically examined the neuropsychological aspects of online transit planning in 50 younger (M = 22 years) and 40 older (M = 64 years) community-dwelling adults. All participants completed a neuropsychological battery, questionnaires, and measures of Internet use and skills. Participants used a live transit planning website to complete three inter-related tasks (e.g., map a route from an airport to a specific hotel at a particular time). On a fourth Internet transit task, participants were randomized into either a support condition in which they received brief goal management training or into a control condition. Results showed that older adults were both slower and less accurate than their younger counterparts in completing the first three Internet transit tasks. Within the older adults, Internet transit accuracy showed a medium association with verbal memory, executive functions, and auditory attention, but not visuomotor speed, which was the only domain associated with Internet transit task speed in both groups. The goal management training was beneficial for plan development in younger, but not older adults. The planning supports did not impact actual Internet transit task performance in either group. Findings indicate that older adults experience difficulties quickly and accurately using a transit website to plan transportation routes, which is associated with poorer higher-order neurocognitive functions (e.g., memory). Future work might examine the benefits of established memory strategies (e.g., spaced retrieval practice) for online transit planning.

To investigate the effect of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) combined with rehabilitation training on patients with acute cerebral infarction and motor impairment, seventy-four patients with acute cerebral infarction and hemiplegia were randomly and equally divided into two groups, the control group and the IPC treatment group. The patients in the control group received conventional drug therapy and rehabilitation training, and the patients in the treatment group received the IPC treatment in addition to the treatment given in the control group. Motor function, the primary outcome, of the two groups was evaluated by Fugl-Meyer motor function scores. The Barthel index assessment scale was used to evaluate the ability to perform activities of daily living of the two groups, as a secondary outcome. All these indicators were collected and compared before treatment and at 7 days, 14 days, and 30 days after treatment. The incidence of adverse reactions associated with treatment was also recorded. At 7, 14, and 30 days after treatment, the Fugl-Meyer scores (27.16 ± 7.37, 33.41 ± 7.16 and 38.72 ± 7.65) and Barthel scores (47.16 ± 7.37, 52.41 ± 7.16, and 56.09 ± 8.32) of the treatment group were also significantly higher than those (23.65 ± 3.11, 26.13 ± 3.25, and 28.75 ± 5.92; 44.15 ± 3.11, 46.63 ± 3.25 and 47.75 ± 4.22) of the control group (all P < 0.05). With the extension of follow-up time, both scores were higher. There were no treatment-related adverse events in either of the two groups of patients during or after treatment. In conclusion, the IPC combined with rehabilitation training can effectively improve motor function deficits, the ability to perform activities of daily living, and quality of life for patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore social engagement and social comparisons as mechanisms to increase physical activity among older adults.

Methods: Participants (N = 60, mean age = 65.7) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Participants in the treatment condition used the application to track their daily walking steps and interact via text messages with their group members for 4 weeks. Participants in the control group used the application only to track their own walking steps. Outcome variables included mean weekly steps, exercise self-efficacy, and social engagement.

Results: The results revealed that participants in the experimental condition significantly increased their mean weekly steps and social engagement from the pretest to the posttest whereas the control group did not. These effects were maintained at the 1-month follow up.

Discussion: The study expands our understanding of the motivational role of social engagement and social comparison in increasing PA among older adults.

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a promising intervention against age-related decline. Though previous studies have shown benefits in motoric and cognitive domains, it is unclear how these effects are functionally related. Therefore, a randomized controlled trial was conducted in an aging population (53-85). Two measures of motor functioning - motor speed and functional balance - and three cognitive control measures - shifting, updating and inhibition - were included. The TCC condition consisted of an online 10 week 20 lessons video program of increasing level and control condition of educational videos of similar length and frequency. All analyses were done with Bayesian statistics. Counter to expectation no differences were found in cognition between TCC and control pre-to-posttest. However, there was extreme evidence for TCC benefits on functional balance and moderate evidence for increased motoric speed. After weighing the evidence and limitations of the intervention we conclude that TCC does not enhance cognitive control.

Objectives: Behavioral interventions with community dwelling older adults often utilize multiple modes of treatment, which contributes to variation in participation and high rates of nonadherence. The objective of this report was to assess the treatment efficacy of one such study. Methods: We conducted an as-treated analysis of the Well Elderly II trial, where 322 individuals underwent 6 months of individual and group treatment and participated in community outings. We utilized inferential and graphical methods to assess the relationship between treatment received and depression change. Results: Individual treatment and community outings had similar small indirect effects on depressive symptoms, but a selection effect was present for individual treatment, where individuals with high baseline depression scores were the most likely to participate. Discussion: The results provide nuance that is unavailable using intent-to-treat. Future research should expand on our methods for as-treated analyses after intent-to-treat has shown aggregate improvements.

Aim: We examined the effects of active learning education on arterial stiffness and physical activity of community-dwelling older adults with low health literacy.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of randomized controlled trial of 60 participants aged 65 and older with low health literacy. The intervention group (n=30) participated in a weekly 90-minute active learning program session for 24 weeks, which addressed health promotion in older age. The control group (n=30) attended a 90-minute health education class in a didactic manner. The outcomes were measured at baseline and in week 24. The degree of arterial stiffness was assessed based on the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) using the VS-1500 device (Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The shortened version of the self-reported International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess the amount of total physical activity determined by the metabolic equivalent hours per week. We used analysis by intention-to-treat, with multiple imputation for missing data.

Results: Seven participants (11.7%) dropped out prior to the post-intervention assessment. The multiple imputation analysis revealed that the intervention group showed significant improvement in CAVI [between-groups difference (95% confidence interval)=-0.78 (-1.25 to -0.31), Cohen's d=0.82] and physical activity [32.5 (0.3 to 64.7), Cohen's d=0.57] as compared with the control group. The sensitivity analysis for the complete cases showed similar results.

Conclusion: Active learning health education may be effective in improving arterial stiffness and physical activity in older adults with low health literacy.