Longevity

Introduction: Aging is a stage of life associated with physiological and psychological changes, which increases the risk of psychological dysfunction. Among the factors influencing mental health in the elderly, lifestyle variables such as physical activity and sleep quality play significant roles in maintaining psychological functioning. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity level and sleep quality on the cognitive triangle in Iranian elderly individuals.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study employed multistage random cluster sampling. The statistical population consisted of adults over 60 years old from five geographical regions of Iran. Data collection tools included the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Elderly Physical Activity Questionnaire (Chapms). Data were analyzed using two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).

Results: The results of the two-way MANOVA indicated that both physical activity level and sleep quality significantly influenced the subscales of the cognitive triangle in the elderly. Additionally, the interaction between these two factors was also statistically significant. According to Beck’s cognitive theory, the cognitive triangle includes negative thoughts about oneself, others, the world, and the future, which predisposes individuals to depression.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that regular physical activity and good sleep quality can prevent psychological declin in elderly individuals. It is recommended to design intervention and educational programs to enhance physical activity and improve sleep quality among the elderly to preserve their psychological health.

To investigate the role of artificial intelligence in analyzing central and peripheral mechanisms involved in gait adaptation among the elderly. This study employed a narrative review design using descriptive analysis. A systematic search was conducted across international databases from 2015 to 2025 to identify relevant studies on the use of AI in gait analysis in older adults. Extracted data were categorized based on data types (motion, neural, muscular, wearable) and the AI algorithms applied. The results indicate that AI algorithms have effectively identified abnormal gait patterns in older adults and modeled interactions between brain activity, muscle coordination, and joint dynamics. The use of multimodal data, such as EEG, EMG, fNIRS imaging, and wearable sensors, has enabled early prediction of pathological gait changes. Algorithms such as neural networks, Random Forest, and SVM demonstrated high performance in processing these datasets. Artificial intelligence, through its capacity to process complex data and detect hidden patterns, serves as a powerful tool in the analysis of gait mechanisms in aging. Despite challenges such as data quality dependency and interpretability issues, AI can play a vital role in early diagnosis, personalized rehabilitation planning, and enhancing mobility independence in older adults.

The aim of this study is to investigate balance compensation strategies in the elderly using wearable sensors and analyze their applications in movement monitoring, fall prediction, and providing smart interventions. This study is a narrative review with descriptive analysis method and was conducted using scientific sources published between 2020 and 2025. The articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and IEEE Xplore databases. The selected articles were selected and analyzed based on their relevance to the topic, target population (elderly), type of wearable technology, and their application goals. The findings showed that wearable sensors are effective tools in biomechanical assessment of body movements, accurate measurement of gait parameters, and identification of movement abnormalities. These sensors have the ability to predict fall risk through machine learning algorithms and can be used in feedback interventions for rapid correction of body posture. Augmented and virtual reality were also introduced as new educational platforms for balance training in combination with sensor data. The use of wearable sensors in the field of balance rehabilitation for the elderly is a new and multifaceted approach that, by providing accurate data, personalized interventions, and the possibility of monitoring in the natural living environment, can play an effective role in preventing falls and improving the quality of life of the elderly.

اهداف: هدف از این مطالعه تعیین تاثیر تمرینات فانکشنال بر تعادل ایستا و پویای مردان سالمند انجام شد.

موارد و روش­ها: در این پژوهش نیمه تجربی 26 مرد سالمند سالم آسایشگاه سالمندان شهر قزوین که داوطلب شرکت در پژوهش بودند به طور هدفمند انتخاب شده و در دو گروه تجربی (18 نفر) و کنترل (17 نفر) قرار گرفتند. گروه تجربی به مدت 8 هفته و هر هفته سه جلسه در برنامه تمرین فانکشنال شرکت نمودند. تعادل ایستا و پویای آزمودنی­ها با استفاده از آزمون­های تعادلی لک لک و زمان برخاستن و رفتن در دو مرحله قبل و بعد از 8 هفته ارزیابی شدند. تجزیه و تحلیل آماری با استفاده از آزمون­های تی زوجی و تی مستقل انجام گرفت.

یافته­ها: پس از اجرای برنامه تمرین فانکشنال تعادل پویا در گروه تجربی به طور معناداری افزایش یافت (00/0p=)، اما در تعادل ایستا تغییر معناداری ایجاد نشد (00/0p=).

نتیجه­گیری: به نظر می­رسد تمرینات فانکشنال منظم موجب بهبود تعادل پویا در سالمندان می­شود، بنابراین به عنوان یک شیوه تمرینی مناسب برای افزایش تعادل توصیه می­شود.

Health literacy refers to an individual’s capacity to acquire, interpret, and comprehend essential information from educational concepts in order to make appropriate decisions. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between information literacy and health literacy among physical education teachers in the Gilan Province Department of Education. This research employed a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional design, conducted in 2020. A total of 175 physical education teachers were selected as the sample. Standardized questionnaires on information literacy by Boroujeni et al., and the Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaire were used. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied to assess the normality of the data, and both descriptive and inferential statistical tests were employed to analyze the data. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS and PLS software. The path coefficient between information literacy and health literacy among physical education teachers in the Gilan Province Department of Education was found to be 0.91, indicating a positive and significant correlation. Furthermore, the significance levels of the path coefficients between health literacy and age, employment status, and educational attainment (t = 1.97), as well as between information literacy and age, employment status, and educational attainment (t = 1.98), suggest a statistically significant relationship between the variables (P < 0.05). It appears that information literacy emphasizes information-related skills ranging from the acquisition to the evaluation and application of information. Enhancing information literacy skills among teachers can also pave the way for the improvement of their health literacy.

هدف از این پژوهش، مقایسه اثربخشی دو رویکرد تمرینی شمامل تمرینات ثبات پویای عصبی-عضلانی (DNS) و برنامه فال پروف برتعادل و عملکرد حرکتی زنان سالمند باسابقه سقوط بود. دراین پژوهش نیمه تجربی، 35 زن سالمند 60 تا 70 ساله باسابقه سقوط به صورت تصادفی در دو گروه تمرینی DNS (17نفر) وفال پروف (18نفر) قرار گرفتند و به مدت چهار هفته، در قالب 12 جلسه تمرین شرکت کردند. برای ارزیابی تعادل از آزمون مینی BEST و برای بررسی عملکرد حرکتی از آزمون 30 ثانیه نشست و برخاست از صندلی (CST) و آزمون 6 دقیقه راه رفتن (6MWT) استفاده شد. تحلیل داده ها با آزمون تحلیل واریانس با اندازه گیری مکرر و اندازه اثر انجام گرفت. یافته ها نشان داد هر دو برنامه تمرینی باعث بهبود معنادار تعادل و عملکرد حرکتی سالمندان شدند (P=0/001)، اما تفاوت معناداری بین دو گروه مشاهده نشد (P=0/05). اندازه اثر در متغییر تعادل 0/71 و در عملکرد حرکتی 0/62 بود که نشان دهنده اثربخشی بالینی قابل توجه این تمرینات است. نتایج این تحقیق نشان می دهد تمرینات DNS و فال پروف هر دو می توانند به عنوان مداخله ای موثر در بهبود تعادل و عملکرد حرکتی زنان سالمند با سابقه سقوط مورد استفاده قرار گیرند. استفاده از این تمرینات در برنامه های پیشگیرانه احتمالا منجر به کاهش خطر سقوط و بهبود کیفیت زندگی سالمندان می گردد.

The aim of this study was to determine and prioritize the dimensions, components, and indicators of elderly caregiver empowerment. This research is applied in terms of its objective and adopts a mixed-methods approach in terms of methodology. In this study, a research synthesis method was employed to systematically review related studies, and qualitative analysis was used to identify the main dimensions and components of elderly caregiver empowerment. The results identified five key dimensions in the training section: practical skills, communication skills, psychological and emotional support, management and leadership, and the use of technology. Moreover, in the empowerment section, seven dimensions were identified: training and skill development, healthcare services, social and psychological support, living environment and accessibility, financial and economic support, family awareness and education, and cultural awareness and information dissemination. Subsequently, using Chang’s Fuzzy Delphi techniques, the identified dimensions and components were prioritized. Elderly caregiver empowerment requires fundamental improvements, particularly in the areas of practical training and psychological and emotional support, whereas the use of technology ranked lower due to implementation complexities and limitations. The empowerment model was designed by integrating research findings and expert feedback, and by presenting a comprehensive model, the study explains the factors influencing the empowerment of elderly caregivers and provides practical recommendations to improve the quality of training and skill development of these caregivers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS) exercises on certain indicators of respiratory function and movement quality in overweight and obese women. In this quasi-experimental study, 36 obese women with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 29 and aged between 25 and 45 years were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 18) and control (n = 18) groups. The experimental group participated in three weekly sessions of 45 to 60 minutes of DNS training over a six-week period. Respiratory function was assessed using breath-holding tests (inhalation and exhalation phases) and respiratory rate (breaths per minute), while movement quality was evaluated using the Functional Movement Screening (FMS) test. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention for both groups. Analysis of covariance revealed that DNS exercises had a statistically significant effect on breath-holding capacity during both inhalation and exhalation, as well as on certain movement quality indicators, including hurdle step, trunk stability push-up, rotary stability, and the total movement score (P < .001). However, no significant differences were observed between groups in respiratory rate, deep squat, in-line lunge, or shoulder mobility (P > .05). The findings suggest that DNS exercises can be effective in improving respiratory function—particularly breath-holding capacity—and certain patterns of functional movement in obese women. Given the limitations concerning some variables, future research employing more precise designs and advanced assessment tools is recommended.