ECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH03
INTRODUCTION: Elderly people (EP) pose a challenge for public policy worldwide due to their high disease burden. Chile is no exception, with its exponential population growth. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the pandemic of the 21st century and strongly affect EP who lose years of healthy life. EP in Chile have a prevalence of 73.3% of high blood pressure (HBP), while 30.6% have type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and 33% have dyslipidemia. Multimorbidity in this population is a phenomenon that affects 76.4% of older women (ENS 2016-2017). For older women, it is very important to study these pathologies and how they can affect the performance of fall risk tests in a context such as long-stay institutions. METHODS: This study involved 90 elderly women who met the eligibility criteria. Fall risk tests were performed (dynamometry, arm flexion, one-leg balance test, timed up and go test [TUG], quadrant test, and sit-to-stand test in 30 seconds). The sample was grouped into EP without disease (WD), with HBP, with DM2+dyslipidaemia (DM-D) and with 2 or more NCDs (C+2). It was statistically analysed using JAMOVI software and the Kruskall-Wallis test with post-hoc analysis (DSCF pairwise comparisons) was used. RESULTS: Tests that assess the risk of falls in institutionalised people with NCDs behave differently depending on the number of diseases present. The median age of the different groups was: WD/81.5 years (n=16), HBP/88 years (n=35), C+2/87 years (n=22) and DM-D/86 years (n=17). The Kruskal-Wallis analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the groups in the hand dynamometry (HD) tests (p=0.035); relative dynamometry (HD-R) ( p=0.024); left single-leg stance test (SLST) (p=0.035); Z-score of functional tests (Z-FX) (p=0.007); quadrant test (T-C) (p=0.047). Post-hoc analyses using the Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner test revealed significant differences between groups in the variables studied, for dynamometry between groups C+2/DM-D (p=0.032), relative dynamometry C+2/DM-D (p=0.022), TAUI C+2/DM-D (p=0.028), SP/DM-D quadrant test (p=0.039), and Z-FX C+2/DM-D (p=0.008). CONCLUSION: We can conclude that there are significant differences between the groups in the fall risk tests (HD, HD-R, TAUI, T-C and Z-FX), with the groups with the most frequent significant differences being C+2 and DM-D, reporting 4 out of 5 of the variables studied. It may be proposed to include all these assessments in a battery of tests that is applied longitudinally in the PM population, allowing for adequate monitoring of their health conditions.
Read CV Francisco QuinterosECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH03
INTRODUCTION: Rapid force generation (rate of force development, RFD) is a critical determinant of fall prevention, functional independence, and musculoskeletal resilience in older adults. While the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) is widely used to assess functional performance in clinical and community settings, its ability to detect deficits in explosive strength remains unclear. Understanding whether SFT components reflect lower-limb RFD could provide practical, low-cost insight into neuromuscular function and fall risk. METHODS: Community-dwelling adults aged >=60 years completed the SFT battery, including the 30-second chair stand and 8-foot up-and-go tests. Maximal voluntary isometric knee extension force and RFS (0-100 ms and 0-200 ms) were measured using a force platform. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess associations between SFT performance and RFD, controlling for age, sex, and body mass index. RESULTS: The 30-second chair stand showed strong positive correlations with peak force and early-phase RFD (p < 0.05). Performance in the 8-foot up-and-go test inversely correlated with early-phase RFD, indicating that faster, more agile participants could generate force more rapidly. Regression analyses demonstrated that SFT lower-limb components explained a substantial proportion of early-phase RFD variance, independent of covariates. These results highlight that specific SFT measures reliably capture critical aspects of explosive force capacity. CONCLUSION: Incorporating SFT performance into routine assessments provides a practical, field-friendly tool to identify individuals with reduced rapid force generation, a neuromuscular factor strongly associated with fall risk and functional decline. Early detection of deficits in explosive strength may enable targeted interventions to maintain safe mobility and independence in aging populations. Our findings support the use of SFT not only as a functional assessment but also as an indirect biomarker of neuromuscular explosiveness.
Read CV Nóra L. TóthECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH03
INTRODUCTION: Muscle echo intensity (EI), measured using ultrasound imaging, is widely used as a noninvasive indicator of skeletal muscle quality [1,2]. Previous studies have reported inconsistent effects of resistance training on EI [3]. Because EI may reflect not only intramuscular composition but also water distribution within the muscle tissue, changes in EI following training may be influenced by fluid dynamics. In recent years, bodyweight-based resistance training (BWRT) in older adults has been reported to be effective in improving muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function, with increases in muscle thickness assessed using ultrasonography also being documented [4,5]. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine whether changes in EI are associated with changes in fluid distribution indices assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) after a 6-week BWRT program in older adults. We hypothesized that if training-induced changes in EI are primarily driven by alterations in intramuscular fluid dynamics rather than structural muscle degeneration, changes in EI would be associated with changes in fluid distribution indices. METHODS: Twenty-eight community-dwelling Japanese older adults (mean age: 73.2 years; 9 men and 19 women) participated in this study. The BWRT program (1 supervised session and 1 home session/week) consisted of six exercises targeting the lower limbs, trunk, and upper limbs, including split squats and squats, for 6 weeks. Muscle thickness and EI of the rectus femoris and vastus intermedius were assessed using ultrasonography. EI was quantified from 8-bit grayscale images using the ImageJ software. Fluid distribution indices [extracellular water/intracellular water (ECW/ICW)] in the lower limbs were measured using BIA. The pre- and post-intervention changes were analyzed using paired t-tests. Associations between the changes in EI and fluid indices were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: No significant increase in muscle thickness of the anterior thigh was observed following training; however, the EI significantly increased in both muscles (p<0.001). The lower limb ECW/ICW also significantly increased after training (p=0.003), but changes in EI did not significantly correlate with changes in ECW/ICW in either the rectus femoris (r=-0.073) or vastus intermedius (r=0.261). CONCLUSION: The BWRT resulted in increases in both EI and extracellular fluid indices; however, these changes were not correlated. These findings suggest that changes in EI following short-term BWRT may occur independently of segmental fluid redistribution, as measured using BIA. References: 1. Oranchuk DJ, et al. J Sport Health Sci. 2024. 13(6):820-840. 2. Stock MS, et al. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2021. 121(2):369-380. 3. Wong V, et al. J Ultrasound. 2020. 23(4):457-472. 4. Ozaki H, et al. J Sports Sci Med. 2020.19(4):721-726. 5. Sawada S, et al. BMC Geriatr. 2021.21(1):464.
Read CV Erabu KawakamiECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH03