Articles
The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.
Topic- Research
How well is the wellness industry? by Patricia Ryan, MS, and Colin Milner
Have you been on the edge of your seat this past year, watching news broadcast after news broadcast discussing the downward spiral of the economy? Have you been reading about how real estate and banking have taken a massive hit? Not to mention thinking about how many more years you probably will work to gain back the losses in your retirement savings.
No matter where you look, news about the economy is plentiful and depressing. After reading so many stories of woe, the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA) recently checked to see if the economic pulse of the active-aging industry was still beating.
Research
First Step to Active Health for Diabetes by Phil Page, PT, ATC, MS, CSCS, and Michael E. Rogers, PhD, CSCS, FACSM
Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting an estimated 180 million people worldwide, advises the World Health Organization. In the United States, 24 million people—8% of the population—have diabetes, and the number of individuals with this condition grows every year, increasing 25% in the past 6 years alone2 (see Figure 1 on page 45). In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated that one in 3 (~30%) Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
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Balance, falls and whole body vibration training by Larry Leigh, PhD, and Jonathan Scherer, MHK
Balance, stability and the prevalence of falls leading to injury are topics of great concern within the older-adult population. One-third of people ages 65 and over fall at least once each year, and falls are the leading cause of death from injury in this age group. Further, approximately 40% of falls that require hospitalization involve hip fractures, and half of these individuals never regain their previous level of functional ability.
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Research fuels new physical activity recommendations for older adults by Marilynn Larkin, MA
On August 1, 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) unveiled updated physical activity recommendations for healthy adults ages 18–64 years, and companion recommendations for those ages 65 and older. The companion recommendations extend to adults ages 50–64 years who have chronic health conditions or functional limitations that impact their fitness, physical activity or ability to move. Together, the new recommendations “reflect the growing importance of ensuring safe, effective physical activity for adults ages 50 and older,” observes Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging® (ICAA), an association that supports professionals who develop wellness and fitness facilities and services for adults over 50.
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Whole body vibration training: a new wave in exercise intervention for older adults? by Joseph F. Signorile, PhD
In the past 3 decades, exercise has moved steadily to the forefront as an intervention for the declines in functional performance and increases in falls and related injuries in older adults. Several issues affecting the optimization of exercise training have been identified and addressed over this period. Among the most important existing concerns are:
• developing specific exercise prescriptions to meet the diverse needs of older individuals;
• implementing interventions that can safely meet the exercise needs of older adults; and
• providing exercise programs that increase client adherence and maximize attendance.
Research
Understanding risk: what do those headlines really mean?
Every day in the newspaper or on television we see stories about new medical findings. Perhaps we hear that a certain drug causes a 300% or threefold increase in strokes. That's a large increase. But, if only two strokes occur in every 10,000 people not taking the drug, a threefold increase really means six more strokes. Maybe that's not quite so frightening.
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