Active or Healthy Ageing

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Guest Editor
1. Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra School of Education, Rua D. João III, Solum, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal
2. Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
3. Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Applied Research Unit (IIA), Robocorp, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal
4. Physical Activity Program for Older Adults, Arganil, Portugal
5. Instituto de Telecomunicações (TI), Delegação da Covilhã, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: eldery; motor learning and control; sports science; neuroscience; ecological dynamics; dynamical systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the state of the art, physical activity can play a crucial role in the protection against age-related morbidity and in the increase in longevity. Regardless of the age when the physical activity starts, changes in sedentary patterns, even among those older than 85, can substantially reduce mortality and functional disability. The adaptations introduced in “movement”, if performed adequately, may contribute to improving not only individuals’ health but also their quality of life (cf. Dias & Couceiro 2017). On the other hand, the 65+ segment of the population is rapidly increasing. Therefore, regular participation in physical activity is crucial for maintaining good health, particularly as we age.  Despite the wealth of research evidence that has identified physical inactivity as a key risk factor for a number of chronic medical conditions that result in premature disability and/or mortality in the older adult years, a large proportion of older adults (≥65 years) do not currently meet global physical activity recommendations. This is a particularly troublesome finding given that individuals with a disability who regularly engage in physical activity derive similar health benefits (see Debra Rose, 2017, in Foreword: Dias, G. & Couceiro, M.S. 2017. Active Ageing and Physical Activity: Guidelines, Functional Exercises and Recommendations.
SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Cham. ISBN : 978-3-319-52062-9 ).

Given the above, “Active or Healthy Ageing”: presupposes a dynamic balance between body, cognition and emotion, and promises to be an important resource for any professional working with the older adult population.

Best regards,

Prof. Dr. Gonçalo Dias
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Health
  • Physical activity
  • Ageing in place
  • Public health
  • Quality of life
  • Walkability
  • Social participation
  • Social support

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 205 KiB  
Editorial
Active or Healthy Ageing: “A Wonderful Journey between Body, Cognition and Emotion”
by Gonçalo Dias
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2022, 12(6), 534-535; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe12060039 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
This Special Issue, “Active or Healthy Ageing”, presupposes a dynamic balance between body, cognition, and emotion, and it promises to be an important resource for any professional working with the older adult population [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active or Healthy Ageing)

Research

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17 pages, 359 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Cognitive Status and Retained Activity Participation among Community-Dwelling Older Adults
by Fatemeh Adelirad, Maryam Moghaddam Salimi, Iman Dianat, Mohammad Asghari-Jafarabadi, Vijay Kumar Chattu and Hamid Allahverdipour
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2022, 12(4), 400-416; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe12040029 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2951
Abstract
Identifying retained activity participation to old age can improve age-related changes in balance and cognition function. Subjects ≥ 60 years were enrolled in this study. Balance and Cognitive function include working memory, executive function, and sustained and divided attention was evaluated with “Fullerton [...] Read more.
Identifying retained activity participation to old age can improve age-related changes in balance and cognition function. Subjects ≥ 60 years were enrolled in this study. Balance and Cognitive function include working memory, executive function, and sustained and divided attention was evaluated with “Fullerton advanced balance”, “n-back”, “Wisconsin card sort”, “sustain and divided attention test”, respectively. In addition, retained activity participation was measured using the Activity Card Sort questionnaire. The univariate and multivariate regression analyses of different domains of retained activity participation were used as independent variables, including instrumental activity, low-effort leisure, high-effort leisure, and social activity on balance and specific domains of cognition. Seventy-seven subjects (65.3 ± 4.4 years, 61% female) were included. About 47% of older adults had a college education, 32.3% had a diploma, and 20.7% had elementary–middle education. These results show that retained instrumental activity had a relationship with working memory (β = 0.079, p < 0.05). In addition, we found that retained high-effort leisure activity can increase balance, divided attention, and executive function score (β = 0.1, β = 0.05, β = 0.02, p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a positive relationship between retained low-effort activity and sustained attention (β = 0.08, p < 0.05). In addition, the coefficient of determination (R2) for balance, working memory, executive function, sustained, and divided attention were 0.45, 0.25, 0.13, 0.11 and 0.18, respectively. The study suggests that retained activity participation types may have various effects on balance and some selective cognitive components in older people. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active or Healthy Ageing)
18 pages, 1372 KiB  
Article
Religiosity, Spirituality and Biopsychological Age of Professionals in Russia
by Anna V. Koteneva, Tatiana N. Berezina and Stanislav A. Rybtsov
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2021, 11(4), 1221-1238; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11040089 - 5 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2273
Abstract
The challenges of modern civilization resulted in the premature biological and psychological aging of professionals of working age. This phenomenon raises both medical and psychological problems associated with personality factors that affect psychobiological maturity and the rate of aging. The influence of religiosity [...] Read more.
The challenges of modern civilization resulted in the premature biological and psychological aging of professionals of working age. This phenomenon raises both medical and psychological problems associated with personality factors that affect psychobiological maturity and the rate of aging. The influence of religiosity and spirituality on biopsychological age remains the least studied area of psychology. Progress in this area will help to identify the components of religiosity—predictors of the aging rate of professionals. The sample included 295 people (148 women) aged 24 to 54 years (average age 31.7 years) and consisted of Christians (67.12%), Muslims (5.76%), Buddhists, deists, Shintoists, etc., (7.79%) and atheists (17.29%). The average work experience was 9 years. Using correlation analysis and methods of multivariate linear regression and t-test for independent samples, we found that the religiosity of professionals increases with natural aging and deterioration of their physical condition and does not depend on gender. Religiosity to a greater extent affects psychological age, the indicator of the psychobiological maturity of a professional and, to a lesser extent, biological age. Most of the indicators of religiosity are inherent in a person who is more mature in psychobiological terms. The biological age of professionals increases due to asthenic experiences, while gaining faith in God, unusual religious experiences and the existential meaning of life can reduce it. An increase in the spirituality of professionals is associated with a slowdown in the rate of biological aging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active or Healthy Ageing)
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9 pages, 285 KiB  
Article
Psychometric Properties of the Lasher and Faulkender Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) among Iranian Older Adults
by Amir H. Pakpour, Shamsedin Namjoo, Khadijeh Sabahiazar, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Vijay Kumar Chattu and Hamid Allahverdipour
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2021, 11(3), 829-837; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11030060 - 28 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4026
Abstract
(1) Background: The older adult population of society is exposed to multiple stressors daily, such as the loss of loved ones, dysfunctional mobility, financial dependence, and suffering from numerous chronic illnesses. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Anxiety [...] Read more.
(1) Background: The older adult population of society is exposed to multiple stressors daily, such as the loss of loved ones, dysfunctional mobility, financial dependence, and suffering from numerous chronic illnesses. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Anxiety about Aging Scale among older adults in Iran. (2) Methods: A sample of 703 community-dwelling older adults was recruited and screened using a standardized tool. The mean age of participants was 69.4 ± 8.1 years. The majority of participants were male (59.2%), married (66.6%), and illiterate (79.7%). A ‘forward-backward’ translation method was used in developing the Iranian version of the AAS for assessing the psychometric properties among older adults. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Rasch model were used for construct validity. (3) Results: Applying CFA indicated that the model’s four original factors are the best solution, representing 55% of the total variance. The result of the CFA showed that this four-factor model had a good fit for the data. The findings were also confirmed by Rasch analysis. (4) Conclusions: The Persian version of the AAS is valid and reliable for measuring aging anxiety among Iranian older adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active or Healthy Ageing)

Other

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33 pages, 1557 KiB  
Systematic Review
Benefits of Pilates in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Mário José Pereira, Rodrigo Mendes, Rui Sousa Mendes, Fernando Martins, Ricardo Gomes, José Gama, Gonçalo Dias and Maria António Castro
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2022, 12(3), 236-268; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe12030018 - 22 Feb 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 9844
Abstract
The aim of this systematic review is to collect and summarize the benefits of Pilates in the elderly population (>60 years old), within the current scientific production, assessing its contribution to Healthy Ageing (HA). We used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews [...] Read more.
The aim of this systematic review is to collect and summarize the benefits of Pilates in the elderly population (>60 years old), within the current scientific production, assessing its contribution to Healthy Ageing (HA). We used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) to select, collect, and analyse this thematic. The methodological procedures were registered in the PROSPERO database. The main results of the studies analysed (n = 30) point to significant differences between the intervention and the control groups in dynamic balance, strength, mobility, functional capacity, risk of falling reduction, and mental and psychological health. Thus, the results showed that Pilates may be beneficial for the health of the elderly. The meta-analysis found statistical differences between means on the dynamic balance (mean difference (MD) = −0.0, 95% CI [−0.71, −0.50]; I2: 0%) and the aerobic capacity and aerobic resistance [(MD) = 38.29, 95% CI [6.82, 69.77]; I2: 0%). Thus, it is concluded that the efficacy of Pilates has been shown in various areas of HA and has proven to be affordable and safe for the majority of people, using just a mat on the floor. Future studies should focus on the analysis of the relationship between the cost and the benefit of a Pilates intervention in the elderly population, to better understand how health costs can be minimized and to contribute to a multidisciplinary and generalized HA. Pilates has practical application for the clinicians, therapists, and health professionals that work with the elderly population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active or Healthy Ageing)
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