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Background Late-life exposure to ambient air pollution is a modifiable risk factor for dementia, but epidemiological studies have shown inconsistent evidence for cognitive decline. Air quality (AQ) improvement has been associated with improved cardiopulmonary health and decreased mortality, but to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the association with cognitive function. We examined whether AQ improvement was associated with slower rate of cognitive decline in older women aged 74 to 92 years. Methods and findings We studied a cohort of 2,232 women residing in the 48 contiguous US states that were recruited from more than 40 study sites located in 24 states and Washington, DC from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Memory Study (WHIMS)-Epidemiology of Cognitive Health Outcomes (WHIMS-ECHO) study. They were predominantly non-Hispanic White women and were dementia free at baseline in 2008 to 2012. Measures of annual (2008 to 2018) cognitive function included the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICSm) and the telephone-based California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). We used regionalized universal kriging models to estimate annual concentrations (1996 to 2012) of fine particulate matter (PM.sub.2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2) at residential locations. Estimates were aggregated to the 3-year average immediately preceding (recent exposure) and 10 years prior to (remote exposure) WHIMS-ECHO enrollment. Individual-level improved AQ was calculated as the reduction from remote to recent exposures. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine the associations between improved AQ and the rates of cognitive declines in TICSm and CVLT trajectories, adjusting for sociodemographic (age; geographic region; race/ethnicity; education; income; and employment), lifestyle (physical activity; smoking; and alcohol), and clinical characteristics (prior hormone use; hormone therapy assignment; depression; cardiovascular disease (CVD); hypercholesterolemia; hypertension; diabetes; and body mass index [BMI]). For both PM.sub.2.5 and NO.sub.2, AQ improved significantly over the 10 years before WHIMS-ECHO enrollment. During a median of 6.2 (interquartile range [IQR] = 5.0) years of follow-up, declines in both general cognitive status ([beta] = -0.42/year, 95% CI: -0.44, -0.40) and episodic memory ([beta] = -0.59/year, 95% CI: -0.64, -0.54) were observed. Greater AQ improvement was associated with slower decline in TICSm ([beta].sub.PM2.5improvement = 0.026 per year for improved PM.sub.2.5 by each IQR = 1.79 [mu]g/m.sup.3 reduction, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.05; [beta].sub.NO2improvement = 0.034 per year for improved NO.sub.2 by each IQR = 3.92 parts per billion [ppb] reduction, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.06) and CVLT ([beta].sub.PM2.5 improvement = 0.070 per year for improved PM.sub.2.5 by each IQR = 1.79 [mu]g/m.sup.3 reduction, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.12; [beta].sub.NO2improvement = 0.060 per year for improved NO.sub.2 by each IQR = 3.97 ppb reduction, 95% CI: 0.005, 0.12) after adjusting for covariates. The respective associations with TICSm and CVLT were equivalent to the slower decline rate found with 0.9 to 1.2 and1.4 to 1.6 years of younger age and did not significantly differ by age, region, education, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) e4 genotypes, or cardiovascular risk factors. The main limitations of this study include measurement error in exposure estimates, potential unmeasured confounding, and limited generalizability. Conclusions In this study, we found that greater improvement in long-term AQ in late life was associated with slower cognitive declines in older women. This novel observation strengthens the epidemiologic evidence of an association between air pollution and cognitive aging., Author(s): Diana Younan 1,*, Xinhui Wang 2, Joshua Millstein 1, Andrew J. Petkus 2, Daniel P. Beavers 3, Mark A. Espeland 3, Helena C. Chui 2, Susan M. Resnick 4, [...]

Abstract A woman's post-reproductive years can bring the greatest challenges of her life as physical and psychological changes compel examination of her new role in life. The author's own experience [...]

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to explore the information and support needs of older women with breast cancer, and to investigate the types of support they accessed [...]

A case study of a 68-year-old woman with history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, admitted to the hospital because of substernal chest pain during an airplane flight is presented. The reports from the clinical and anatomical diagnosis suggested an acute rupture of the free wall of the left ventricle as the most likely cause of the death, despite the best medical and clinical efforts to resuscitate patient.

Carlucci, F, Mazza, C, and Cappozzo, A. Does whole-body vibration training have acute residual effects on postural control ability of elderly women? J Strength Cond Res 24(12): 3363-3368, 2010--The purpose of this study was to investigate acute residual effects of a single vibration session on balance control in a group of elderly women. Several studies, in fact, have shown that whole-body vibration (WBV) training may improve balance in the elderly, but possible side effects of acute exposure to WBV, such as temporary reduction of balance control ability because of perturbations of the vestibular system, have not been investigated. Twenty-two healthy elderly women (71.8 [+ or -] 4.7 years of age) were trained with a 9.5-minute bout of static and dynamic knee-extensor exercises executed on a vibrating platform (Well-net Vibe Revolution). The vibration frequency was set at 35 Hz. A subgroup of 14 subjects performed the same exercise protocol also without the vibrations to discriminate between vibration and exercise effects. Balance control ability was assessed through computerized posturography: a force plate (Bertec Co, Columbus, OH, USA) was used to measure the center of pressure trajectories during 4 different experimental trials: before, immediately after, 15 minutes after, and 60 minutes after the training. A set of postural parameters, typically adopted to assess elderly subjects, was then computed and 2-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between values found in the 4 postural tests (level of significance p = 0.05) in the 2 groups. The results showed no significant variations in the postural parameters recorded during the 4 sessions. A significant group effect was found for 2 postural parameters, with no interaction between the 2 factors. In conclusion, the proposed single bout of WBV does not induce dangerous acute effects on elderly women balance control ability and could be safely administered as part of a long-term intervention program. KEY WORDS whole-body vibrations, vibration platforms, posturography, balance control

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 12 weeks of step aerobics (SA) training on the functional fitness of apparently healthy older women. Thirteen previously sedentary elderly women (mean age 63.14 years) participated in this study. Subjects performed 3 training sessions per week for 30-60 minutes per session. All measurements were assessed at baseline, after 12 weeks of training (posttest), and after 1 month of detraining. Assessments included the evaluation of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), strength of the upper (arm-curl [AC] test) and lower body (30-second chair-stand test [CS]), dynamic balance and agility (8 foot up and go [8 ft]), flexibility (chair sit-and-reach [CSR]), and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-minute walk test [6MW]). Step aerobics significantly improved all functional fitness components except for BMI. The 12 weeks of SA promoted a large effect size in the following measurements: WC (d = 1.6); CSR (d = 1.51); CS (d = 1.49); AC (d = 1.41); 8 ft (d = 1.32); and 6MW (d = 1.06) (p < 0.05). These results indicate that 12 weeks of SA had a positive effect on the functional fitness components of these older women. Furthermore, these findings were confirmed by the reverse effect observed after 1 month of detraining, except for upper body strength (AC test). In conclusion, 12 weeks of SA training can promote improvements in the functional fitness of apparently healthy older women. Therefore, SA can be considered an effective exercise modality to prevent the loss of functional fitness and its associated consequences. KEY WORDS physical function, exercise, aging

Background. Several reports suggest beneficial impacts of either physical or mental activity on cognitive function in old age. However, the differential effects of complex mental and physical activities on cognitive performance in humans remain to be clarified. Methods. This randomized controlled trial evaluates a cognitive and a physical standardized 6-month activity intervention (3 x 1.5 h/wk) conducted in Berlin (Germany). Two hundred fifty nine healthy women aged 70-93 years were randomized to a computer course (n = 92), an exercise course (n = 91), or a control group (n = 76), of whom 230 completed the 6-month assessment. Group differences in change over a period of 6 months in episodic memory (story recall, possible range, 0-21: word recall, possible range, 0-16), executive control (working memory, ie, time quotient of Trail Making Tests B/A). and verbal fluency were evaluated by analyses of covariance (intention to treat) adjusting for baseline, fluid intelligence, and educational level. Results. In contrast to the control group, both the exercise group, [DELTA]M (SD) = 2.09 (2.66), p < .001. and the computer group, [DELTA]M (SD) = 1.89 (2.88), p < .001, showed improved delayed story recall. They maintained performance in delayed word recall and working memory (time measure) as opposed to the control group that showed a decline, [DELTA]M (SD) = - 0.91 (2.15), p = .001, and [DELTA]M (SD) = 0.24 (0.68), p = .04. respectively. Conclusions. In healthy older women, participation in new stimulating activities contributes to cognitive fitness and might delay cognitive decline. Exercise and computer classes seem to generate equivalent beneficial effects. Key Words: Mental activity--Physical activity--Cognitive performance--Older adults. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glq053

Background. Chronic stress may lead to health decline through metabolic syndrome. Thus, persons in stressful caregiving situations who also have more indicators of metabolic syndrome may experience more decline than other caregivers or noncaregivers. Methods. The sample included 921 women (338 caregivers and 583 noncaregivers) from the Caregiver-Study of Osteoporotic Fractures study. Participants had home-based baseline and l-year follow-up interviews between 1999 and 2003. At baseline, caregivers were categorized as long term ([greater than or equal to] 4 years) versus short term ( Results. Walking speed declined for the total sample (adjusted mean = -0.005 m/second, [+ or -] 0.16) over an average of 1.04 years ([+ or -] 0.16). Overall, caregiving was not associated with decline. Increasing metabolic risk score was associated with greater decline for the total sample and long-term and dementia caregivers, but not other caregivers or noncaregivers. Metabolic risk score modified the adjusted associations between years of caregiving and dementia caregiving with walking speed decline (p values for interaction terms were 0.039 and 0.057, respectively). The biggest declines were in longterm caregivers and dementia caregivers who also had 3-4 metabolic indicators (-0.10 m/second and -0.155 m/second, respectively). Conclusions. Walking speed declined the most among older women who had both stressful caregiving situations and more metabolic syndrome indicators, suggesting these caregiver subgroups may have increased risk of health decline. Key Words: Caregiving--Dementia caregivers--Metabolic indicators--Gait speed. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glq025

Background. Prior studies have shown that sleep disturbances are related to falling and its risk factors, such as poorer cognition, depression, and physical function. However, little is know about the gender-specific associations between falling and sleep duration. Methods. Study participants were from the annual Health Examination for the Elderly Program in the National Taiwan University Hospital (135 women and 121 men, mean age 72.2 years). Self-reported sleep duration was grouped into three categories: less than 5.5-7.9, and 8 or more hours. Short sleep duration was defined as sleep duration less than 5 hours. Falling during the previous 12 months was ascertained by self-report questionnaire. The association of sleep duration with falling was examined by using multiple logistic regression. We approximated risk ratio (RR) of falls from the adjusted odds ratio (OR) after correction of falls incidence in the previous year. Results. Sleep duration was inversely associated with falling among women. After adjusting for multiple confounding factors including use of antihypertensives and psychotropic medications, the OR of falls for each hour decrease in sleep duration was 1.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24-3.06). Moreover, women with sleep deprivation had a greater odds of falls within the last year than those with longer sleep durations. The estimated RR of falls comparing women with short sleep duration (sleep Conclusion. Sleep deprivation is independently associated with falls in women but not in men. Short sleep duration may be an indicator to identify women at risk for falling. Key Words: Sleep duration--Falls--Cross-sectional study. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glp143

The current research is a pilot study that included 87 single women who responded to an announcement placed in one of the national newspapers and then filled out interview questionnaires. The study hypothesized three groups of variables for predicting elderly single women's appeals for help from health and welfare services: (a) demographic variables, (b) intrapersonal variables, and (c) interpersonal variables. The research tools were (a) a demographics questionnaire constructed specifically for this study; (b) a personal assessment of single life: chosen or unchosen, including a question regarding what single people think about bachelorhood/spinsterhood; (c) an approach to the institution of bachelorhood/spinsterhood; (d) self-evaluation questionnaire; (e) a sense of mastery over life questionnaire; (19 informal support networks questionnaire; and (g) an assessment of the appeal to health and welfare services for help. A special questionnaire was constructed, which included a list of health and welfare services. The research findings indicate connections among all the research variables. All the research hypotheses were confirmed. Special attention should be given to this one tenth and more of the elder population. It might improve the lives of those women and save Western governments a lot of money. KEYWORDS help seeking, elderly single women, welfare services, chosen or unchosen single life, social support systems DOI: 10.1080/08952840903284602

Studies examining physical activity behavior suggest that activity levels decline with age. Such declines are particularly problematic among older adults in light of the research suggesting a protective effect of physical activity on numerous physical health outcomes associated with independent living. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of a physically active lifestyle, little is known about the role of demographic and psychosocial variables on this trajectory of change. In this study, the roles played by outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and functional limitations on changes in physical activity levels over a 2-year period in older women were assessed using latent growth curve modeling. Data were obtained from 249 community-dwelling older women (M age = 68.12, n = 81 Black, and n = 168 White). Demographic, health status, and psychosocial data were collected via self-report upon entry into the study. Self-reported physical activity was assessed at baseline and again at 12 and 24 months. As expected, physical activity declined over the 2-year period. Self-efficacy demonstrated an indirect association with the trajectory of decline in physical activity through functional limitations. Importantly, the pattern of relationships appears independent of demographic factors and chronic health conditions. Key Words: Physical activity--Social cognitive--Women.

The case study of a senior female patient manifesting adenocarcinoma of the gastro esophageal junction is discussed. The doctorsE opinions and diagnostic procedures used in the case are presented.

Background. This study examined the racial differences in probabilities of transitioning across three disability levels of walking 1/2 mile in a community-dwelling population of older women. Methods. The sample comprised 436 community-dwelling older women who were among the two-third least disabled women in Baltimore, Maryland. The levels of disability status of walking 1/2 mile included high functioning defined as reporting no difficulty, preclinical disability defined as reports of task modification but no reported difficulty, and disability defined as reported difficulty. First-order Markov transition models were specified to determine whether race influences the types of individual-level transitions between difficulty levels of walking 1/2 mile. Results. Among high-functioning women, African Americans were more likely to be disabled at the next round than their White counterparts. African American women who began with preclinical disability were more likely to die before the next round. After adjusting for age, education, and perceived income inadequacy, African American women tended to have an increased risk of becoming disabled if preclinically disabled than White women. Conclusions. Prevention through identification of individuals at an early phase of decline appears to be key to addressing racial disparities in physical disability even in later life. Key Words: Racial disparities--Preclinical disability--Mobility disability--Walking.

A study was conducted to evaluate the benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy among older women with breast cancer aged 65 years or above as compared to other standard chemotherapies. Results indicated that adjuvant chemotherapy was found to be more effective among older women as compared to other standards forms like capecitabine.

Objectives. We assess the income and wealth packages of older women's (age 65+ years) households and the extent to which low income is paired with low wealth, across a group of six high-income countries. Methods. We use data on income and net worth from the Luxembourg Wealth Study, a new cross-national microdatabase. We define income poverty as having household income less than 50% of the national median and asset poverty as holding financial assets equivalent to less than 6 months of income at the poverty threshold. Results. Older women typically have less income than do members of younger households at the national median, but their wealth holdings are generally much higher than their country's median wealth holdings. Older women's households in the United States report the highest net worth across these countries, in part because older American women have comparatively high rates of homeownership. However, American older women are also substantially more likely to be income poor. They also report high levels of asset poverty, as do women across all our comparison countries, with Sweden as a partial exception. Discussion. Further research is needed to identify the most vulnerable subgroups, to integrate analyses of necessary expenditures, and to assess policy implications. Key Words: Income--Wealth--Poverty--Comparative Women--Older.

A case study of a 65-year old female patient manifesting osteoarthritis in the right knee with suggestions for a minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty is discussed. The article highlights the management of this case of osteoarthritis which is a joint disease causing long-term disability along with the possible difficulties during perioperative and post-operative period.

The case study of a 54-year-old female admitted to the hospital manifesting respiratory failure, hypotension and a cavitary lesion in the lung is discussed. The condition was diagnosed as an old case of rheumatoid arthritis which could lead to pulmonary complications and the line of treatment adopted is highlighted.

This paper is derived from a larger multimethod longitudinal study of women's bodily experiences and coping practices before the onset of disability. Twelve women participated in repeated performance measures, in-depth interviews of daily life and physically challenging events, and observations of daily activities conducted over 18 months. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of textual data showed that women's bodies provided multiple indicators or symptoms of preclinical disability. These indicators informed the women that their body was out of synch with their environment; conspicuous during social activities; and vulnerable to becoming dependent on others, technology, or assistive devices to accomplish daily activities. Greater attention to bodily indicators or symptoms may offer a practical method for clinicians to identify preclinical disability. KEYWORDS aging, women, preclinical disability, interpretive phenomenology, symptoms, body experiences

Objective: Older people may act as sensitive indicators of the effectiveness of health systems. Our objective is to distinguish between the effects of socio-economic and behavioural factors and use of health services on urban-rural differences in mortality and health of elderly women. Methods: Baseline and longitudinal analysis of data from a prospective cohort study. Participants were a community-based random sample of women (n=12778) aged 70-75 years when recruited in 1996 to the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Measures used were: urban or rural residence in Australian States and Territories, socio-demographic characteristics, health related behaviour, survival up to 1 October 2006, physical and mental health scores and use of medical services. Results: Mortality was higher in rural than in urban women (hazard ratio, HR 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03,-1.26) but there were no differences between States and Territories. There were no consistent baseline or longitudinal differences between women for physical or mental health, with or without adjustment for socio-demographic and behavioural factors. Rural women had fewer visits to general practitioners (odds ratio, OR=0.54; 95% CI, 0.48-0.61) and medical specialists (OR=0.60; 95% CI, 0.55-0.65). Conclusions: Differences in use of health services are a more plausible explanation for higher mortality in rural than urban areas than differences in other factors. Implications: Older people may be the 'grey canaries' of the health system and may thus provide an 'early warning system' to policy makers and governments. Key words: Women's health, mortality, rural health, urban health, health services.

The health issues women face over the course of their lives, as well as policies that shape Medicare, Medicaid, and other supplemental coverage can affect retired women's economic well-being. This study uses a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older in 2002 to explore gender-based differences in health and long-term care use, spending patterns, and the financial burden of health and long-term care out-of-pocket health expenses. Women's health care expenses were higher than men's; older women paid for a greater share of their total spending out of pocket and they faced a greater financial burden by shouldering these out-of-pocket costs with less income at their disposal. Low-income women, those with Medigap or no supplemental coverage, and white women, who are less likely to qualify for Medicaid which covers long term care, faced the greatest financial burdens associated with health and long-term care costs. The implications of these findings for women in the context of the current health policy landscape are discussed. Controlling health spending and developing options to finance long-term care are key elements of the policy solutions that will need to he developed to preserve and support economic security for millions of retired women in the United States. KEYWORDS women, Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care, financial burden, health care costs, retirement, health expenses, retirement, low-income DOI: 10.1080/15544770902901874

Background. Alterations in anabolic hormones are theorized to contribute to aging and frailty, with most studies focusing on the relationship between individual hormones and specific age-associated diseases. We hypothesized that associations with frailty would most likely manifest in the presence of deficits in multiple anabolic hormones. Methods. The relationships of serum levels of total IGF-1, DHEAS, and free testosterone (T) with frailty status (nonfrail, prefrail, or frail) were analyzed in 494 women aged 70-79 years enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Studies I or II. Using multivariate polytomous regression, we calculated the odds of frailty for deficiency in each hormone (defined as the bottom quartile of the hormone) individually, as well as for a count of the hormones. Results. For each hormone, in adjusted analyses, those with the deficiency were more likely to be frail than those without the deficiency, although this did not achieve statistical significance (IGF-1: odds ratio [OR] 1.82, confidence interval [CI] 0.81-4.08; DHEAS: OR 1.68, CI 0.77-3.69; free T: OR 2.03, CI 0.89-4.64). Compared with those with no hormonal deficiencies, those with one deficiency were not more likely to be frail (OR 1.15, CI 0.49-2.68), whereas those with two or three deficiencies had a very high likelihood of being frail (OR 2.79, CI 1.06-7.32), in adjusted models. Conclusions. The absolute burden of anabolic hormonal deficiencies is a stronger predictor of frailty status than the type of hormonal deficiency, and the relationship is nonlinear. These analyses suggest generalized endocrine dysfunction in the frailty syndrome. Key Words: Hormones--Aging--Elderly--Women--Frailty--IGF-1--DHEAS--Testosterone.

Background. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes, heart disease, and kidney failure and may potentially affect skeletal muscle. Whether AGEs are associated with poor muscle strength is unknown. Methods. Serum carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), a dominant AGE, circulating soluble form of receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), and endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end product (esRAGE) and grip strength were measured in 559 moderately to severely disabled women, age 65 and older, in the Women's Health and Aging Study I in Baltimore, Md. Results. Mean (standard deviation) grip strength among women in the highest quartile of serum CML compared with women in the lower three quartiles was 18.6 and 20.0 kg, respectively (p = .002), adjusting for age, race, body mass index, cognitive dysfunction, depression, and diabetes. Serum sRAGE and esRAGE were not significantly associated with grip strength. Conclusions. Women with high serum AGEs have greater muscle weakness. Further studies are needed to determine whether AGEs, a potentially modifiable risk factor, are associated with physical performance and disability in older adults. Key Words: Advanced glycation end products--Aging--Inflammation--Muscle--Sarcopenia.

Background. Understanding preclinical transitions to impairment in cognitive abilities associated with risks for functional difficulty and dementia. This study characterized in the Women's Health and Aging Study (WHAS) II 9-year declines and transitions to impairment across domains of cognition. Methods. The WHAS II is an observational study of initially high-functioning, community-dwelling women aged 70-80 years at baseline. Random-effects models jointly compared rates of decline, and discrete-time Cox models estimated hierarchies of incident clinical impairment on measures of psychomotor speed and executive function (EF) using the Trail Making Test and in immediate and delayed verbal recall using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test. Patterns of transition were related to incidence of global cognitive impairment on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). Results. Mean decline and impairment occurred first in EF and preceded declines in memory by about 3 years. Thereafter, memory decline was equivalent to that for EF. Over 9 years, 49% developed domain-specific impairments. Risk of incident EF impairment occurred in 37% of the sample and was often the first impairment observed (23.7%), at triple the rate for psychomotor speed (p < .01). Risk of immediate and delayed recall impairments was nearly double that for psychomotor speed (p values Conclusions. Executive dysfunction developed first among nearly one quarter of older women and was associated with elevated risk for global cognitive impairment. Because EF declines preceded memory declines and are important to efficient storage and retrieval EF represents an important target for interventions to prevent declines in memory and MMSE both of which are associated with progression to dementia. Key Words: Cognitive decline--Executive dysfunction--Memory--Cognitive impairment--Mild cognitive impairment.

Using the data of the Baltimore Hip Study 5 (a home-based exercise intervention), this study examined how social support for exercise by experts (SSE-E) affected the self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and exercise behavior among older women following a hip fracture. The total sample included 164 females aged 65 years (M = 81.0; SD = 6.9) who had surgical repair of a non-pathologic hip fracture. Model testing showed a direct relationship between SSE-E and outcome expectations for exercise. There was, however, no direct or indirect relationship between SSE-E and self-efficacy or exercise behavior. The positive effect of SSE-E on the outcome expectations for exercise in older women recovering from a hip fracture provides an opportunity for health care providers in improving physical activity in this population. KEYWORDS hip fracture, older women, exercise, social support, self-efficacy

In 2004, we conducted qualitative interviews with 29 White women diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) living in Southwest Virginia, aged 69 to 92 years (M age = 79.2 years; SD = 6.8); time since diagnosis ranged from 1 to 50 years (M = 14.3; SD = 11.2). We explored the women's initial illness episode and the influence of CVD on their current daily functioning, family activities and relationships, and social engagement. The women were slow to seek help for CVD symptoms. Postrecovery, 62% of women perceived their heart disease as influencing change in their daily lives. The influence of CVD varied depending on how congruent behavior changes were with their sense of self. KEYWORDS older women, aging, cardiovascular disease, family, social activities, daily life, life-course

Inactivity has been identified as a major contributor to the burden of disease in older women. Study aims were: (a) to assess the personal, social, and environmental facilitators and impediments to physical activity in older women from ethnic communities; and (b) to determine the factors associated with physical activity participation. Older women (aged 60-84 years) were recruited from the local Italian (n = 20), Vietnamese (n = 26) and Anglo-Celtic (n = 26) communities. A survey questionnaire was administered in the participants' preferred language. The most common barriers were: 'I am not in good health,' 'I am self-conscious about my looks,' 'I am too tired,' 'I don't have time,' and 'The weather is bad.' When comparing the ethnic groups, the Vietnamese women reported fewer barriers than the Italian women (2.6 vs. 5.9). While the Vietnamese women were much more likely to report being 'self-conscious about my looks,' the Italian women more commonly reported poor health, being too tired, and not liking exercise as barriers. Overall, those living alone were more likely to be active and those who reported fear of injury, less active. Recognizing ethnospecific differences in the prevalence of barriers may be important when devising strategies to increase activity levels of older women. KEYWORDS older women, physical activity, ethnic populations, barriers