Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

CiteULike is a free service for managing and discovering scholarly references - click here to get started.

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Applied Gerontology
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0733464808315288v1
27/4/511    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wyrick, S.
Right arrow Articles by Ng, A. V.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Article

Relationships Among Walking Aids, Physical Activity, Depression, Fatigue, and Perceived Health in Assisted-Living Residents: A Pilot Study

Shelly Wyrick, Danille Parker, Denise Grabowski, Heidi M. Feuling, and Alexander V. Ng*

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: alexander.ng{at}marquette.edu.


  Abstract
This study assesses whether physical activity, depression, fatigue, or perceived health are affected by use of a walking aid in residents of an assisted-living facility. From an assisted-living facility, 21 participants who were independent ambulators (n = 8) or who used a cane or walker (n = 13) participated. Physical activity was measured with accelerometers, and depression, fatigue, and perceived heath status were assessed with questionnaires. There were no differences in physical activity, depression, fatigue, or perceived health status between those using and those not using assistive devices. However, 15% of the participants reported moderate to severe depression, and 40% of participants reported at least mild depression. Depression was strongly correlated to fatigue. Thus, physical activity, depression, fatigue, and perceived health are not associated with walker or cane use in assisted-living facilities. Nevertheless, among all, mild depression is prevalent and strongly correlated to fatigue.

First published on May 19, 2008, doi:10.1177/0733464808315288

Journal of Applied Gerontology 2008;27:511.

A more recent version of this article appeared on August 1, 2008

Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?