title: Pattern of age-associated decline of static and dynamic balance in community-dwelling older women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Falling is the leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults, and a loss of balance is often the precursor to a fall. However, little is known about the rate at which balance declines with age. The objective of the present study was to determine whether there is an age-associated decline in static (SB) and/or dynamic (DB) balance in community-dwelling older women.
  
  
  METHODS
  SB and DB were determined in 971 older women. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to determine test-retest reliability. Sway velocity was used to measure SB standing on a platform and foam with eyes open and closed. DB was characterized by limits of stability (LOS) that measured end-point excursion (EXE) and maximum excursion (MXE) of the body's center of pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ICC for EXE and MXE for the LOS test were excellent (EPE = 0.96, MXE = 0.96). ICC for SB tests, except for the eyes open firm surface condition (ICC = 0.10), showed a high level of reproducibility (ICC = 0.88 and 0.90). Relationships existed between age and SB (r = 0.31, P < 0.001), and between age and DB (r = -0.46--0.48, P < 0.001). The rate of decline for both DB and SB was approximately 1% per year. Age was significantly associated with all balance measures. DB got significantly lower with advancing age until 80 years, and then plateaued. SB did not decline with age until 80 years, and then decreased significantly thereafter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although large individual variation was found with balance ability, an age-related decline was found with both dynamic and static balance for Japanese older women.
authors.affiliation: Sport and Life Science, National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Kanoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeshima
authors.forename: Mohammod M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomiyama
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: aging; dynamic balance; limits of stability; static balance; sway velocity