Jieun Yoon

Associations of physical activity with neighborhood environments and transportation modes in older Japanese adults

OBJECTIVE We investigated associations of walking and other leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with environmental characteristics and transportation modes in older Japanese adults. METHODS This cross-sectional study in 2010-2011 used data from 421 community-dwelling older adults aged 65-85 years living in Kasama City, rural Japan. We used the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly to assess walking and other LTPAs, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Environment Module for neighborhood environments. RESULTS After adjusting for confounders, we found that good traffic safety and aesthetics were positively associated with high levels of walking (ORs=1.64-2.12); whereas, good access to public transportation was negatively associated with walking (OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.42-0.98). Good access to recreational facilities, presence of sidewalks, absence of hills, seeing people exercise, and aesthetically pleasing surroundings were positively associated with high levels of LTPA except walking (ORs=1.61-2.13). Individuals who rode bicycles more than once per week were more likely to engage in a LTPA except walking (1-3 days: OR=1.72, 95% CI=1.03-2.87; ≥4 days: OR=2.90, 95% CI=1.71-4.93). CONCLUSION This study adds information on correlates of physical activity among older Japanese adults; the positive association between LTPA except walking and the frequency of bicycle travel is an especially new and intriguing finding.

Evaluation of maslinic acid with whole-body vibration training in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis

Purpose Maslinic acid (MA) is a component derived from a natural olive-based extract known to have pharmacological functions that include suppressing inflammation. This study examined how MA, in conjunction with whole-body vibration training (WBVT), can improve knee and muscle function in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods The study was a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized intervention study that enrolled individuals with knee pain. Participants were 26 females aged 65–85 years with knee OA. They performed WBVT and ingested either 16.7 mg of MA or a placebo daily for 20 weeks. We compared the effect of WBVT with placebo (WBVT/P) and WBVT with MA (WBVT/MA) in participants with various degrees of knee OA (Kellgren and Lawrence (K-L) grade) using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and isokinetic dynamometer measurements to evaluate knee and muscle function with two-way ANOVA. Results Based on the results of two-way ANOVA analysis of muscle function measurements, there was significant interaction (time × group) (P = 0.03) in the “isokinetic extension peak torque” domain for severe OA (K-L grade ≥ 3). The simple main effect of time in the WBVT/MA group (P = 0.04) contributed to this interaction. The JOA score for WBVT/MA supported the main effect of group as having a significant correlation in the “pain on walking” (P = 0.04) and “range of motion” (P < 0.01) domains. Participants with severe knee OA in the WBVT/MA group improved in these domains, whereas the WBVT/P group had few positive results. Conclusions Participants with severe OA who ingested MA in conjunction with WBVT improved their knee and muscle function. This study suggests that ingesting the anti-inflammatory supplement MA while participating in WBVT, elderly women can reduce knee OA and improve their knee muscle strength.