| Abstrakt: |
Purpose: Fall prevention, and the reduction of fall-related injuries, is critically important for preserving independence among older adults. Phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a medically supervised program allowing individuals with certain cardiac diagnoses or cardiac procedures to exercise safely. The relationship among lower extremity blood flow, lower extremity strength, and fall risk in adults who are communitydwelling has been established; however, that relationship in patients enrolled in phase II CR remains unknown. Methods: This cross-sectional study used exploratory analysis to determine whether the ankle brachial index (ABI) and the 30-second chair stand test (30CST) could predict the score on the functional gait assessment (FGA). A convenience sample (N 5 57) of individuals aged 50 years and older, enrolled in a phase II CR program, was selected. Results: No correlation was found between the ABI and FGA score (r 5 0.02, P 5 .438). A significant positive correlation was found between the 30CST and FGA score (r 5 0.71, P, .001). In addition, the 30CST predicted FGA scores, accounting for 46% of the variance, F(2,54)523.97, P,.001, R250.46. Conclusions: The 30CST could be considered for use as a quick fall-risk screening measure in the phase II CR population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
