Issn Print: 0195-9131
Publication Date: 1997/05/01
STRENGTH THRESHOLD ZONES FOR MAINTAINING INDEPENDENCE IN LATER LIFE1452
C. Boudreau; B. Evans; D. Hopkins; H. Cox
Excerpt
Recommendations regarding the amount of strength required to maintain independence in later life are necessary in today's aging society. To identify strength threshold zones associated with independent living in older adults, the relationships among muscular strength, self-care, and functional mobility were examined in 41 dependently- and independently-living men and women between the ages of 63 and 94 years. Multivariate analysis of covariance using age as the covariate revealed that absolute elbow flexor strength (EFSA), relative elbow flexor strength (EFSR), absolute knee extensor strength (KESA), relative knee extensor strength (KESR), and mobility (MOB) were significantly greater (p≤.05) for the independent group than for the dependent group. Results of discriminant analysis indicated that only MOB was successful in discriminating between dependently- and independently-living older adults(85.4%, Wilk's Lambda=0.51628). All partial correlations among dependent variables while controlling for the effects of age were positive, although not all were significant. Despite considerable overlapping of ranges for all strength variables, threshold zones were readily identified using dependent and independent group medians to define the lower and upper limits, respectively, of each zone. Based on these results, it was concluded that muscular strength plays a critical role in maintaining mobility near the level associated with stable independent living in later life. Further research regarding the identification of strength threshold zones for older adults is recommended.
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