Physical activity, balance, and bicycling in older adults

Abstract

Falls are a critical public health issue among older adults. One notable factor contributing to falls in older adults is a deterioration of the structures supporting balance and overall balance control. Preliminary evidence suggests older adults who ride a bicycle have better balance than those who do not. Cycling may be an effective intervention to prevent falls among older adults. This study aims to objectively measure the relationship between bicycling, physical activity, and balance for older adults. Older adult cyclists (n = 19) and non-cyclists (n = 27) were recruited to (1) complete a survey that assessed demographics; (2) wear an accelerometer for 3 weeks to objectively assess physical activity; and (3) complete balance-related tasks on force platforms. Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed to detect differences in balance and physical activity metrics between cyclists and non-cyclists. Cyclists were significantly more physically active than non-cyclists. Cyclists, compared to non-cyclists, exhibited differences in balance-related temporospatial metrics and long-range temporal correlations that suggest a more tightly regulated postural control strategy that may relate to higher stability. Cycling was observed to correlate more strongly with balance outcomes than other physical activity. Taken together, these results demonstrate the possible implications for cycling as an effective intervention to improve balance and reduce fall risk.

Performance in a Balance Test and Prediction of All-Cause Mortality in Community-Dwelling Elderly Ambulatory Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Interestingly, using technology, it was successfully attempted to quantify the risk of falls in older individuals due to poor balance (Estévez-Pedraza, et al, 2021). It was also demonstrated that cycling could be an effective intervention to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls in older individuals (Baughn, et al, 2022). The age is represented by the mean ± standard deviation or the median (inter-quartile range).…”

Collecting accelerometry data among adolescents: Lessons learns from the field (Preprint)

“…Detailed accelerometer procedures can be found in the previously published protocol (Grimes et al, 2022a). These procedures have been used in previous studies (Grimes et al, 2022b;Baughn et al, 2022).…”