Assessment of anxiety and postural balance in strategy for health care for elderly women

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined by the tasks set in the National Project “Demography” (Federal Project “Senior Generation”), and consists in the need for registration of functional characteristics of the organism of older age groups in the accounting system of measures to preserve their health.Aim of the study is to establish the characteristics of anxiety and components of the postural balance (CPB) in elderly women with the risk of recurrent falls.Material and methods. We examined 232 women aged 55-69 years who reported that they experienced two or more falls over the past 12 months. The first age group included women whose calendar age was in the range of 55-64 years (n = 72), the second - women aged 65-69 years (n = 160). Using the self-assessment diagnostic technique by Spielberger, Ch. D., and Khanin, Yu. L. we determined the level of situational (SA) and personal (PA) anxiety. To assess the features of the CPB, a US-manufactured computerized dynamic posturography complex Smart Equitest Balance Manager was used. Sensory Organization Test (SOT) and Motor Control Test (MCT) tests were conducted. Results. When analyzing anxiety scale values, a high level of PA was revealed in both groups of women, however, the SA indices in women 55-64 years old were lower than for women 65-69 years old (p = 0.005). All this indicates that the development of recurrent falls among women older 64 years will be accompanied by mental tension and pronounced emotional responses to postural changes. According to computerized dynamic posturography testing, age-related differences in CPB have been revealed. There was a decrease in the quality of the equilibrium function by test 5 SOT and vestibular information in postural control found in women of age group 55-64, whereas for women in the age group 65-69 there was a decrease in the quality of equilibrium function by test 4 and visual information in balance control. In the latter, there was also found an increase in the time of coordinated motor response by the test of unexpected external impact on the shift of the center of gravity capable of enhancing the risks of stuttering and falls when walking fast.Conclusion. The suggested criteria for assessing the risk of falls in elderly women can be used to develop individual health programs to prevent serious consequences in such events.