Age and education influence the performance of elderly women on the dual-task Timed Up and Go test

Abstract

Gait variability is related to functional decline in the elderly. The dual-task Timed Up and Go Test (TUG-DT) reflects the performance in daily activities. Objective: To evaluate the differences in time to perform the TUG with and without DT in elderly women with different ages and levels of education and physical activity. Method: Ninety-two elderly women perfomed the TUG at usual and fast speeds, with and without motor and cognitive DT. Results: Increases in the time to perform the TUG-DT were observed at older ages and lower educational levels, but not at different levels of physical activity. More educated women performed the test faster with and without DT at both speeds. When age was considered, significant differences were found only for the TUG-DT at both speeds. Conclusion: Younger women with higher education levels demonstrated better performances on the TUG-DT.Keywords: elderly, gait, Timed Up and Go, dual task. RESUMOAlterações da marcha são indícios de declínio funcional em idosos. O TUG com dupla tarefa (TUG-DT) reflete o desempenho das atividades do cotidiano. Objetivo: Avaliar as diferenças no tempo de execução do TUG com e sem DT em idosas com diferentes faixas etárias, e níveis de escolaridade e atividade física. Método: Noventa e duas idosas foram avaliadas pelo TUG nas velocidades usual e máxima, sem e com DT cognitiva e motora. Resultados: Houve aumento no tempo de execução do TUG-DT em idosas com maior faixa etária e menor escolaridade, mas não para diferentes níveis de atividade física. Aquelas com maior escolaridade realizaram o teste mais rápido com e sem DT nas duas velocidades. Com relação à faixa etária, foram obervadas diferenças apenas nos testes com DT nas duas velocidades. Conclusão: Idosas mais jovens com maior escolaridade demonstraram um melhor desempenho no TUG com DT.Palavras-chave: idosos, marcha, teste Timed Up and Go, dupla tarefa.The aging rate has been growing rapidly worldwide in the last decades, and this has exerted strong influences on the dynamics of the society development 1 , with increases in chronic and degenerative diseases, higher dependency indices, and high rates of institutionalization and hospitalization 1 . Functional capacity (FC) refers to the competence of the individuals to preserve their physical and mental abilities necessary for an independent life. FC is an important marker of healthy, independent, and successful aging and has a positive impact on quality of life, especially regarding motor abilities 2 . Changes in gait patterns and speeds are related to difficulties in performing everyday activities, and indicate functional declines and hospitalization in individuals above 75 years of age 3,4 . Several studies have shown increased activation and inter-relations of brain structures related to cognition and

Correlations between low back pain and functional capacity among the elderly

“…This is an important finding, as according to Gomes et al 25 , educational level affects the overall capacity of an individual to deal with the challenges of everyday life. Generally, elderly persons with a low educational level have limited financial resources, less access to health care and few sources of knowledge, resulting in a poorer health condition and greater susceptibility to falls.…”

Análise Da Variabilidade Do Tempo De Balanço Durante Simulação De Travessia De Rua

“…O aumento da variabilidade do padrão de marcha pode ser ocasionado por diversas situações, entre elas a execução simultânea de tarefas cognitivas, como ocorre durante a simulação de travessia de rua [15,16]. Quando ambas as tarefas são executadas simultaneamente, pode haver prejuízo no desempenho de uma ou de ambas [17], o que é chamado de interferência mútua negativa [18], mostrando assim que, a marcha não pode ser considerada um ato reflexo e sim um processo que requer associação de respostas cognitivas para gerar uma execução adequada [19].…”

Timed Up and Go test: a simple test gives important information in elderly

“…The manuscript entitled Age and education influence the performance of elderly women on the dual-task Timed Up and Go test published in this current number investigated the influences of age, education and physical activity among 92 elderly women from community, on TUG dual task 12 . Although TUG has reference time values well established, there is no normative data investigating TUG-DT and education in Brazil.…”