Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare static postural balance of healthy individuals of three age groups in different conditions of support and vision. Seventy one individuals, divided into 3 groups, were analyzed: young group (YG: 22.2 ± 2.1 years), middle aged group (MAG: 50.7 ± 5.7 years) and older individuals group (EG: 66.8 ± 5.4 years). Their balance was tested on a force platform, under 3 support and 3 visual conditions. Measures included: total (TD), anterior-posterior (APD) and mediolateral displacement (MLD) of the center of pressure (CoP). ANOVA revealed significant differences for interactions between group X support conditions and group X visual conditions for the 3 variables (p<0.01), with greater displacements for the MAG and EG groups during single-leg stance with partial and occluded vision (p<0.05). Static postural balance decreased over time in healthy individuals, and conditions of support and visual negatively affected balance with the increment of age.
Highlights
Brazil has a rapidly aging population, target to significant changes Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, IBGE) in 2010 has indicated that the Brazilian population over 60 years of age was fastest growing group in the last decade, increasing approximately 8% of the total population (14.5 million people) to approximately 10.8% (20 million)
The study included 71 volunteers, male and female, divided into 3 groups (Figure 1) according to age: 1 - the youth group (YG = 25 individuals: 14 men and 11 women, 22.2±2.1), ages between 20 and 40 years; 2 - the middle-aged group (MAG = 23 individuals: 10 men and 13 women; 50.7±5.7 years), ages between 41 and 60, and 3 - the group of older individuals (EG = 23 individuals: 9 men and 14 women, 66.7±5.4 years), ages over 60 years, who regularly participated in an exercise program that includes, for example, water gymnastics, lasting 1 hour twice a week
Interactions between groups and support conditions were detected for the variables TD (F=3.38, p
Summary
According to statistical projections of the World Health Organization, in the period from 1950 to 2025, the group of older people in Brazil is expected to increase approximately fifteen times, reaching, in 2025, about 32 million people aged 60 and older (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, 2000, 2010). Many of the physiological changes attributed to aging occur in a progressive manner and compromise independence and functional status of older individuals, leading, for example, to decreased strength and proprioception, (Alfieri & Moraes, 2008), deficits of sensory systems (Nardone & Schieppati, 2010; Ricci, Gazzola, & Coimbra, 2009) and changes in gait and balance (Abreu & Caldas, 2008). Freitas Junior and Barela (2006) observed that deficit of balance is one of the main cause of high rate of falls among older individuals, mainly due to the decreased ability of sensory (visual, somatosensory and vestibular) and motor systems to keep the body oriented
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