Presenting Author Old Dominion University Elizabeth City , North Carolina
Vascular diseases are associated with falls in older adults (gt;65 years), but this relationship is not well understood in middle-aged adults. This study aimed to determine if balance in middle-aged adults with poor ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) was impaired compared to those with normal ABPI. We hypothesized middle-aged adults with vascular disease, measured through ABPI, will fail the Romberg Balance Test at a higher rate compared to those without vascular disease. Data was collected from the 1999-2000 and 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Good balance was determined by passing the 4th condition of the Romberg Balance Test; failure wad defined as not passing the 4th condition or any of the preceding conditions. Poor ABPI was classified as ≤0.90 and normal ABPI as gt;0.90. Middle-aged adults (50.1 ± 0.23) with poor ABPI have a higher frequency of poor balance (4.2%) compared to good balance (1.3%; p=0.001). Further, individuals with poor ABPI have 3.38 (CI: 1.66, 6.87; p=0.001) times the odds of having poor balance compared to individuals with normal RABPI, which remained significant after adjusting for age and body mass index. Individuals who are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, as assessed by ABPI, have higher odds of poor balance. Thus, poor balance appears to be a characteristic of middle-aged individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease.
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Source of submission work: Old Dominion University, Wellness Institute and Research Center
lt;pgt;Source of submission work: Old Dominion University, Wellness Institute and Research Centerlt;/pgt;
Table 1. Characteristics of the Participants by Balance Status Continuous data are mean ± SE. For categorical data, the numbers inside parentheses are percentages weighted to U.S. population while the numbers outside parentheses are unweighted counts. *p < 0.05; Table 2. Prevalence of at-risk RABPI among participants with good and poor balance in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2002 Right Ankle Brachial Pressure Index (RABPI). *p < 0.05
