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Biomedical subjects

Julie J Keysor

Publications and source records attributed to Julie J Keysor.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Association of environmental factors with levels of home and community participation in an adult rehabilitation cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether home and community environmental barriers and facilitators are predictors of social and home participation and community participation at 1 and 6 months after discharge from an acute care or inpatient rehabilitation hospital. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Postacute care. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (N=342) age 18 years or older with a diagnosis of complex medical, orthopedic, or neurologic condition recruited from acute care and inpatient rehabilitation facilities. The mean age +/- standard deviation of participants was 68+/-14 years; 49% were women and 92% were white. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participation in social, home and community affairs as assessed with the Participation Measure for Post-Acute Care. RESULTS: Adjusting for covariates, 1 month after discharge a greater presence of home mobility barriers (P<.01) was associated with less social and home participation; whereas greater community mobility barriers (P<.01) and more social support (P<.001) were associated with greater participation. At 6 months, social support was the only environmental factor associated with participation after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new empirical evidence that environmental barriers and facilitators do influence participation in a general rehabilitation cohort, at least in the short term.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Foot musculoskeletal disorders, pain, and foot-related functional limitation in older persons.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether common musculoskeletal disorders of feet are associated with pain and foot-related functional limitation. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using stratified random sampling. SETTING: A residential community. PARTICIPANTS: Ethnically diverse sample of elderly persons (n=784). MEASUREMENTS: Foot disorders (hallux valgus/bunion, pes planus (flat foot), pes cavus (high arch), hammertoe, mallet toe, claw toe, overlapping toes, bunionette, and plantar fasciitis), foot pain, the foot health functional status (FHFS, range 0-100, 100=no problems) scale, and walk time score (range 0-4, 4=fastest). RESULTS: Most commonly assessed musculoskeletal disorders, including hallux valgus and toe deformities, were not associated with pain or function limitation. Plantar fasciitis and, to a lesser extent, pes cavus were associated with worse FHFS scores; foot pain partially explained this association. Neither foot disorders nor foot pain were significantly associated with slower walk times. CONCLUSION: Many foot disorders had little relationship with foot pain or function and may not require clinical attention when asymptomatic. Risk factors and preventive and therapeutic interventions for plantar fasciitis require further longitudinal investigation.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Are foot disorders associated with functional limitation and disability among community-dwelling older adults?

The objectives of this study are to examine whether specific foot disorders and ankle weakness and foot pain are related to functional limitations or disabilities in elders. Community-dwelling adults 65 and older were enrolled in a population-based, cross-sectional study of foot disorders and health outcomes. Demographics, health status, comorbidities, self-reported foot and knee pain, function and disability, and observed structural foot disorders, body mass index, and ankle muscle strength were assessed on 717 participants. The associations of foot disorders, foot pain, and ankle muscle weakness with function and disability were examined with regression analyses. Foot disorders were not associated with functional outcomes or disability. Ankle weakness was associated with performance-based function (p = .005), self-report function (p lesser than .001), and disability (p = .009). Foot pain was associated with self-report function (p = .01) and disability (p = .007). Foot pain and ankle weakness seem to be related to important health outcomes among older adults.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Does late-life physical activity or exercise prevent or minimize disablement? A critical review of the scientific evidence.

Physical activity and exercise are widely purported to enhance health and minimize or prevent functional loss and disability. Yet, do the benefits of late-life physical activity or exercise extend beyond disease and impairment-level factors? Does late-life physical activity minimize or prevent functional limitations and disability? To address these questions, a best-evidence framework was used to examine the effects of late-life physical activity on disablement outcomes. This review shows that exercise-particularly walking-increases muscle strength and aerobic capacity and reduces functional limitations. It is less clear, however, whether physical activity or exercise prevents or minimizes physical disability. Furthermore, this review shows a discrepancy between prospective and experimental studies: several well-conducted prospective studies show a beneficial effect of physical activity on minimizing disability, whereas the majority of experimental studies that have examined disability as an outcome do not show improvements in disability. Three research priorities are identified that would advance the science in this field: (1). development of a clear conceptual and theoretical framework of late-life physical activity and assessment; (2). use of a disablement outcomes framework to examine the outcomes of late-life physical activity; and (3). development of a mechanism of action explaining the relationship between physical activity and exercise and disablement outcomes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Uses of evidence in disability outcomes and effectiveness research.

Outcomes and effectiveness research is a category of health services research that gauges how well the health care needs of persons with disabilities are being met. Using Patrick's Model of Health Promotion for people with disabilities as a framework for analysis, this article examines outcomes and effectiveness research related to the health care needs of persons with disabilities. The three most pressing research priorities are clear theoretical conceptualizations and qualitative research on health outcomes relevant to the needs of persons with disabilities; a systemic analysis of existing assessment instruments' utility for disability outcomes research; and the development and testing of new outcome instruments.

Persons with Disabilities↗