The Effect of Aging on Physical Performance Among Elderly Manual Workers: Protocol of a Cross-Sectional Study

Norheim, Kristoffer Larsen; Bønløkke, Jakob Hjort; Samani, Afshin; Omland, Øyvind; Madeleine, Pascal

doi:10.2196/resprot.8196

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…The workers who reported interest in participating in a laboratory examination were contacted through e-mail and telephone when available (n = 605). In line with the conducted power calculation 24 , 97 ethnically Danish participants (96 males, 1 female) underwent laboratory assessments of physical performances. These assessments were conducted approximately one and a half year after participants had answered the ALFA questionnaire and they were therefore aged 51-72 years at this time.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To increase the feasibility of the study, participants arrived non-fasting in the laboratory in either the morning or early afternoon depending on their working schedule. The protocol for this study and test-order has been described in detail previously 24 . Inter-test fatigue was assessed using the Borg scale 25 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness, expressed as an estimation of the maximal rate of oxygen consumption (  VO 2 max), was tested using a bicycle ergometer (Ergomedic 874E, Monark AB, Varberg, Sweden) as described previously 24 . The computer solution for the Åstrand-Ryhming nomogram 31 was used to calculate estimated  VO 2 max 32 (see Supplementary Methods), which was expressed both in absolute (a  VO 2 max: L·min −1 ) and relative (r  VO 2 max: ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ) terms.…”

Section: Systemic Inflammationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical performances show conflicting associations in aged manual workers

Norheim

Samani

Bønløkke

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Ageing is associated with a decrease in physical performance implying that aged manual workers may be unable to match the physical requirements of their jobs. In this cross-sectional study, 96 male manual workers aged 51-72 years were recruited. Outcomes included handgrip strength (HGS), fat-free mass (FFM), fat percentage, cardiorespiratory fitness (Vo 2 max), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume after 1 s (FEV 1 ), spinal flexibility, sit-to-stand test performance and static balance. Covariates included height, smoking habits, leisure-time physical activity and systemic inflammation from blood samples. Outcomes were also compared with general populations. Age was negatively related to FFM and FEV 1 , whereas static balance (velocity of displacement) was positively associated with age. Greater HGS, but poorer Vo 2 max and FEV 1 /FEV ratio were found compared with general populations. Age was negatively related with physical performances although a large part of the variance in performance could be explained by factors other than age such as smoking and systemic inflammation. The manual workers had greater muscle strength but had poorer cardiorespiratory fitness and lung function when compared with general populations. Specific health interventions targeting specifically cardiorespiratory fitness, lung function, and balance may be needed to maintain physical performances among manual workers.Noticeable age-related reductions in physical performance typically start beyond the third 1 and accelerate after the fifth decade of life 2-5 . These changes include reduced muscle strength 3 and cardiorespiratory fitness 4 , altered body composition 2 and impaired lung function 4 . Together, these adverse effects of ageing eventually culminate in diminished physical performances and mobility impairments 6,7 . An inactive life style has been ascribed as an important factor contributing to such changes and increasing physical activity-through either aerobic or resistance-based exercise-may mitigate some of the negative effects of age on physical performances 6,8 .Adults who have physically demanding jobs are inherently physically active in their working life. Intuitively, this should retain their physical performance to a greater extent than that of people doing sedentary work 8-10 . However, the physical activities performed by manual workers may help in maintaining muscle strength 11 , but do not seem to improve cardiorespiratory fitness [11][12][13][14][15] . Moreover, a recent systematic review has shown that high occupational physical activity increases the risk of all-cause mortality by 18% 16 . Average life expectancy has steadily increased over the last century, which has led policymakers to pass laws that increase retirement age in an attempt to accommodate the growing population of senior workers. The effect of increasing retirement age may therefore be to shorten the years lived in good health for manual workers 17 . Although muscle strength is reportedly higher in manual workers when compared with...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Systemic Inflammationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical performances show conflicting associations in aged manual workers

Norheim

Samani

Bønløkke

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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“…Here we present preliminary data from an ongoing cross-sectional examination of physical performance in elderly (age 50-70 years) blue-collar workers, which has been described in detail previously [8]. This conference paper includes the first 20 male workers that have been tested.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Handgrip force variability was measured using a digital hand dynamometer (Model G100, Biometrics Ltd, Gwent, UK) during an endurance trial, as described previously [8]. Briefly, the participants began by completing three trials (separated by 2 min) to measure their isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force.…”

Section: Force Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Force Variability and Musculoskeletal Pain in Blue-Collar Workers

Norheim

Bønløkke

Omland

et al. 2018

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

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Blue-collar workers with physically demanding occupations have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders accompanied by pain. Previous research has suggested that reduced motor variability may increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Here we present preliminary data from an ongoing cross-sectional examination of physical performance in elderly manual workers. This paper includes data from 20 male workers (age 52-70 years). Handgrip force variability was measured using a digital hand dynamometer during an endurance trial where the workers exerted 30% of their maximal isometric contraction force until task failure. Absolute variability (standard deviation), relative variability (coefficient of variation), and the complexity of the force signal (sample entropy) were computed. The workers were dichotomized into two groups: no to mild pain/discomfort (No pain) and moderate to severe pain/discomfort (Pain) to investigate the effects of musculoskeletal pain on force variability. This dichotomy was done based on the rating of pain/discomfort within the last seven days, where workers reporting ≥3 score in the upper extremities were allocated to the pain group (Pain, n = 9, No pain, n = 11). No significant between-group differences in force variability during the endurance trial were found. Both absolute and relative variability increased significantly over time. These preliminary data do not support a difference in force variability between blue-collar workers with or without musculoskeletal pain or discomfort in the upper extremities.

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