LSPA 2009. - 2023. gadā aizstāvētie promocijas darbi

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Browsing LSPA 2009. - 2023. gadā aizstāvētie promocijas darbi by Subject "age"

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    Virtuālās realitātes (ar 3D brillēm) spēles satura izmantošanas ietekme uz senioru kognitīvās un sensomotorās sistēmas funkcijas attīstīšanu. Promocijas darba kopsavilkums / The Impact of the Use of Virtual Reality (With 3D Headset) Game Content on the Development of Senior Cognitive and Sensorimotor System Functions. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis
    (Latvian Academy of Sport Education, 2022) Liepa, Agris; Lāriņš, Viesturs
    In our days society is aging. Across the world population aged 60 and up, or so-called seniors (Kaupužs, 2011) are growing faster than the other population groups (Employment & E., 2009). According to the WHO, the number of people over the age of 60 was around 900 million in 2015 but could reach as much as 2 billion by 2050 (World Health Organization, 5 February 2018). The aging process is known to cause a range of disruptions of sensorimotor system at functional (lack of balance, strength and muscle power), neural (sensory, motor neuronal degeneration), muscular (type II muscle fiber atrophy) and bonerelated (such as osteoporosis) levels (Granacher, Gollhofer, Hortobagyi, Kressig, & Muehlbauer, 2013). Falls and fall-related injuries are one of the main causes of deteriorated health status in the elderly (Halvarsson, Dohrn, & Ståhle, 2015). Statistics show that in developed countries, at least one-third of seniors living in the community (rather than in nursing homes) experience a fall at least once a year (Segev-Jacubovski et al., 2011). Half of seniors over the age of 85 are experiencing falls. The number of falls increases with age. Falls and injuries can lead to the functional impairment, disability and lower quality of life (Halvarsson et al., 2015). Falls risk becomes more common with age and is associated with higher rates of disability, mortality, and healthcare costs. There is a body of scientific evidence indicating that physical activity in seniors can be used as a non-pharmaceutical method, thus significantly reducing the public health care costs of an aging society (Dallmeyer, Wicker, & Breuer, 2017). However, not all seniors are able to stay active and play sports due to various health problems. Therefore, it is important to find out whether daily live and activity level of a senior can be improved by doing easer forms of exercises. Such so-called small amplitude or even static tasks can include cognitive function, balance and core stability exercises of the trunk. Core muscle function also plays an important role in reducing the fall risk of seniors (PW Hodges & Richardson , 1996; Key, 2013). It has been observed that falls in the elderly occur when they need to perform several activities at the same time (Vaillant et al., 2006). In the scientific literature, it is referred to as dual tasks. Although the ability to divide attention between different activities, namely between physical activity and cognitive task is a natural part of daily activities, for seniors such a distribution of attention can lead to changes in gait and balance (Halvarsson et al., 2015). The part of the brain located in the forehead (associated with cognitive function (Yuan & Raz, 2014)) is known to be vulnerable to age-related degenerative processes (Fjell, McEvoy, Holland, Dale, & Walhovd, 2014; Fjell et al., 2009; Pfefferbaum et al., 2013; Naftali Raz, 1999; N. Raz et al., 1997). There is evidence that activation of sensorimotor system during which core muscles are controlled by supraspinal centers (including cognitive function) may be more effective than conventional type of exercise programs for seniors (Markovic, Sarabon, Greblo, & Krizanic, 2015). There are few interventions in the scientific literature, during which both the core muscles and cognitive function are activated at the same time. There is evidence that a video game approach could have a positive effect among seniors. Although video games are increasingly being included in clinical trials, there are already commercially available technologies on the market that use a 3-dimensional (3D) virtual reality approach instead of video games, offering an immersive experience when playing the game. Virtual reality, in which a video game is played using 3D headset with three-dimensional technology, makes a person 'sink' into the game and give the impression that he is in another reality. This type of approach could also benefit seniors. When using a traditional video game, various environmental factors can distract the player because it is played on a flat screen. In turn, virtual reality 3D technologies would provide a more in-depth experience of the exercise session, which could serve as an additional motivating factor in ensuring the sustainability in attendance of the exercise sessions. The effectiveness of the virtual reality 3D exercises, which would develop both cognitive and core muscles functioning simultaneously, has not been sufficiently studied in the scientific field related to elderly. The cognitive and sensorimotor functions of seniors have been studied and evaluated in the present dissertation; the parameters influencing cognitive and sensorimotor functions, which in the scientific literature are associated with the risk of falling, have been studied and evaluated here. The study also developed and used virtual reality (with 3D headset) game content, which simultaneously targeted both cognitive and core muscles functioning to improve sensorimotor system.