Taina Rantanen

• PhD
• Professor at University of Jyväskylä

Background: Body composition and functional capacity are both related to physical activity, but the interplay is complex, as different body tissue types contribute differently on physical activity and functional capacity. To clarify the role of body composition and functional capacity as determinants of physical activity in aging, we investigated...

Background Finland’s national vitamin D fortification policy has significantly improved the population’s vitamin D sufficiency. This study investigates the association between serum vitamin D concentration and muscle health, considering the impact of menopause and aging in Finnish cohorts. Methods The study comprised two cohorts: 237 middle-aged w...

Introduction The ability to perform bodily movement varies in ageing men and women. We investigated whether physical fitness may explain sex differences in daily physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) among older people. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a population-based cohort of 75, 80, and 85-year-old men and women (n = 409, 62% wom...

Defining the intensity and volume of physical activity (PA) for older people using device-based monitoring still lacks universal recommendations as most studies have focused on younger populations. We compared PA estimates from wearable accelerometers and heart rate monitors to investigate their correspondence in overall PA volume and across PA int...

When functional limitations increase with age, perceived qualities of the home may influence the level of activity among older adults. Active aging is the process through which people strive to maintain wellbeing when growing old. The aim of this study was to investigate whether perceived housing moderates the relationship between functional limita...

Background Outdoor mobility supports functioning and active life in old age. There is scarce knowledge about the outdoor mobility of senior housing residents, and it remains unclear whether outdoor mobility is dependent on one’s home location. Aims We investigated outdoor mobility among senior housing residents and community-dwelling older adults...

Background Favorable movement behavior patterns, comprising more physical activity, less sedentary behavior, and sufficient sleep, may promote the maintenance of good quality of life (QoL) with advancing age. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether movement behaviors predict future changes in QoL among community-dwelling older adult...

PURPOSE: Physical activity (PA) is distinct from physical capacity (PC), even though they are correlated in old age. PC defines the limits for PA, while activities in daily life typically remain submaximal. Individuals whose intensity of daily activities is close to physical capacity may be better protected from future decline in physical function...

Purpose Green areas are known as places attracting physical activity, but less is known about factors contributing to the usage of their specific parts among older adults. Using as study area the ‘Green loop’, an urban green area surrounding Jyväskylä city center, we investigated differences in land use types and on-foot accessibility between ‘Gree...

Purpose Physical activity (PA) is distinct from physical capacity (PC), even though they correlate strongly in old age. Physical capacity defines the boundaries for PA, while activities in daily life typically remain submaximal. Older people who approach their capacity in terms of intensity and duration of daily activities might be better protected...

Objectives: This study investigated the longitudinal association between coping ability and depressive symptoms from before to during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and whether engagement in meaningful activities plays a mediating role in this association. Method: Individuals aged 75, 80, and 85 years (n = 1021) were interviewed in 2017-2018 (T...

Objectives: To examine the reciprocal associations between walking performance, physical activity (PA), and perceived autonomy in outdoor mobility in 322 older adults. Methods: At baseline and four years later, a 6-min walk test assessed walking performance. A thigh-mounted accelerometer monitored relative PA (acceleration exceeding the individual'...

Background The University of Jyvaskyla Active Aging Scale (UJACAS) assesses active aging through willingness, ability, opportunity, and frequency of involvement in activities. Recognizing the lack of a German version, the Finnish original was translated (UJACAS-G). This study aimed: (1) to evaluate the test-retest reliability of UJACAS-G; and (2) t...

Background and aims Active aging is the process through which people strive to maintain wellbeing when growing old. Addressing the lack of research on active aging in the context of housing, the aim was to describe active aging among people aged 55 and older considering relocation and investigate whether perceived housing moderates the relationship...

Objectives: We investigated the association of social participation with mental well-being among older people and whether purpose in life mediates the potential association. Method: Cross-sectional (n = 1014) and longitudinal (n = 660, four-year follow-up) data comprised of three age cohorts (75, 80, and 85 years) of community-dwelling people. L...

Objectives Leading an active life in old age underpins positive life experience. This study aimed to compare the levels of active aging in senior housing residents and community-dwelling older people. Methods We combined data from the BoAktiv senior house survey (N = 336, 69% women, mean age 83 years) and AGNES cohort study among community-dwellin...

Objectives: To study cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between objectively assessed neighborhood walkability, walking difficulties, and participation in leisure activities among older people. Methods: Self-reported 2 km walking difficulty (intact, modifications, difficulties) at baseline and participating in organized group, outdoor rec...

In old age, walking difficulty may reduce opportunities to reach valued activity destinations. Walking modifications, e.g., slower pace or using a walking aid, may enable individuals to continue going where they wish, and hence postpone the consequences of the onset of walking difficulties. We studied visited activity destinations (type, distance)...

Purpose Habitual strength and power-demanding activities of daily life may support the maintenance of adequate lower-extremity functioning with ageing, but this has been sparingly explored. Hence, we examined whether the characteristics of free-living sit-to-stand (STS) transitions predict a decline in lower-extremity functioning over a 4-year foll...

Introduction The ability to perform bodily movement varies in ageing men and women. We investigated whether physical fitness may explain sex differences in daily physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) among older people. Methods A population-based cohort of 75, 80, and 85-year-old men and women (n=409, 62 % women) underwent laboratory-based a...

Background Among older people, community mobility was reduced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the longer-term changes are unclear. Aims To study lower extremity performance and car driving as predictors of changes in older adults’ life-space mobility, autonomy in participation outdoors, and the risk of developing restricted life-spa...

Aim Older adults show considerable diversity in their use of digital devices, e.g., computers, tablets, and smart phones: some are non-users, some are learning to use them, and some use them fluently. The factors contributing to older adults’ digital device use are likely to differ between learners and fluent users. This paper examines whether diff...

We identified data-driven multidimensional physical activity (PA) profiles using several novel accelerometer-derived metrics. Participants aged 75, 80, and 85 ( n = 441) wore triaxial accelerometers for 3–7 days. PA profiles were formed with k-means cluster analysis based on PA minutes, intensity, fragmentation, sit-to-stand transitions, and gait b...

Background: The network approach may provide a framework for understanding intrinsic capacity (IC) as a system underlying functioning. The system's resilience to resist functional decline may arise from the interrelationships among system components, i.e., body functions or capacities. We applied network analysis to investigate whether the interpl...

At around age 60, people are approaching late adulthood and are typically going through or anticipating life transitions such as grandparenthood, retirement, or changes in health and functioning. The timing and perception of transitions are individual and based on current circumstances and earlier life history and may link to well-being. The TRAILS...

The objectives were to translate the University of Jyvaskyla Active Aging Scale (UJACAS) to Swedish, to establish semantic equivalence and evaluate psychometric properties for use among persons 55 years and older in Sweden. The UJACAS contains 17 items to be self-assessed regarding goals, abilities, opportunity, and activity. Psychometric propertie...

Objectives: To examine birth cohort differences in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in older men and women and the mechanisms underpinning the possible cohort differences. Methods: Two independent cohorts of Finnish men and women aged 75 and 80 were assessed in 1989–1990 (n = 617) and 2017–2018 (n = 794). They reported their depressive sym...

This study aimed to compare community-dwelling older adults’ physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 to their PA levels 2 years before and investigate associations between earlier physical performance and PA levels over the follow-up. Participants’ ( n = 809, initial age 75–85 years) self-reported PA was assessed at baseline...

Purpose Active aging refers to the process where older people strive for activity in line with their goals, abilities and opportunities. However, the will does not always lead to action, creating a conflict between goals and actions. The aim of this study was to determine in which activities older people have conflicting goals and actions, and whet...

Introduction Five times sit-to-stand (STS) test is commonly used as a clinical assessment of lower-extremity functional ability, but its association with free-living performance has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the association between laboratory-based STS capacity and free-living STS performance using accelerometry. The results were...

Purpose Motorized transport to and from places of physical exercise (PE) causes considerable amounts of carbon emissions. We study how locations of home and PE place on urban zones (UZs), reflecting options for transport modes, relate to use of active transport (AT) among older adults. No previous knowledge on the topic exists. Methods Data of AGN...

Purpose Physical activity is often quantified as physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE), which may be affected by individual ability to sustain physical activity intensity. We examined if there is a true difference in physical activity between older women and men when their physical capacity is considered. Methods Out of the population-based...

Purpose Physical activity (PA) is multidimensional but often assessed using single metrics. We studied how data-driven PA profiles predict changes in physical functioning and self-reported walking ability over time among older adults. Methods Participants (n = 318) were community-dwelling 75-, 80- and 85-year-olds who wore a thigh-mounted accelero...

Reduced age-specific mortality and increased muscle strength and walking speed of current older adults may have altered the relationships between these factors as more people may be above the reserve capacity threshold. We compared the cross-sectional associations between muscle strength and walking speed, and the associations of muscle strength an...

Background Life-space mobility is defined as the size of the area in which a person moves about within a specified period of time. Our study aimed to characterize life-space mobility, identify factors associated with its course, and detect typical trajectories in the first year after ischemic stroke. Methods MOBITEC-Stroke (ISRCTN85999967; 13/08/2...

Purpose: Five times sit-to-stand (STS) test is commonly used as a clinical assessment of lower-extremity functional ability, but its association with free-living performance has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the association between laboratory-based STS capacity and free-living STS performance using accelerometry. The results were st...

Background Measures of biological aging range from DNA methylation (DNAm)-based estimates to measures of physical abilities. The purpose of this study was to compare DNAm- and physical functioning-based measures of biological aging in predicting mortality. Methods We studied 63- to 76-year-old women (N = 395) from the Finnish Twin Study on Aging (...

Little is known about older adults' physical exercise destinations. We studied associations between physical activity (PA) level and physical exercise destinations (total number and surrounding environment) in community-dwelling 75- to 85-year-old adults living in Central Finland. Participants (N = 901) reported the amount of at least moderate-inte...

Background Stroke is a common cause of mobility limitation, including a reduction in life space. Life space is defined as the spatial extent in which a person moves within a specified period of time. We aimed to analyze patients’ objective and self-reported life space and clinical stroke characteristics. Methods MOBITEC-Stroke is a prospective obs...

Kotona asumista korostavan hoivapolitiikan seurauksena on paljon iäkkäitä henkilöitä, jotka eivät pääse ulos kodistaan ilman apua. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan huonokuntoisten iäkkäiden ihmisten ja eläkeikäisten vapaaehtoistyöntekijöiden kokemuksia keskinäisestä kanssakäymisestään vapaaehtoistyöhön perustuvalla toimintajaksolla. Vapaaehtoistyöntekij...

Aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the life-space measures and walking speed delivered by the MOBITEC-GP app. Participants underwent several supervised walking speed assessments as well as a 1-week life-space assessment during two assessment sessions 9 days apart. Fifty-seven older adults (47.4% male, mean age= 75.3 (±5.9...

Background The neighborhood environment may enhance or restrict older people's opportunities to participate in leisure activities, and thus impact quality of life. Walkability depicts the environment's suitability for walking to different destinations. Little is known concerning about the relation between environment walkability and participation i...

Background Conducting everyday activities out-of-home may accumulate a large share of older adults' daily physical, especially if active transportation is used. Environmental features in home neighborhood may motivate for higher physical activity, but the role of features around destinations is less known. Our goal was to study 1) clustering of old...

Background and aim Arterial stiffening – a process that is largely due to intimal thickening, collagen disposition or elastin fragmentation – significantly contributes to cardiovascular events and mortality. There is also some evidence that it may negatively affect physical function. This study aimed to evaluate whether arterial stiffness was assoc...

Purpose: Hand grip strength (HGS) is a widely used indicator of overall muscle strength and general health. We computed a polygenic risk score (PRS) for HGS, and examined, whether it predicted muscle strength, functional capacity and disability outcomes. Methods: Genome-wide association study summary statistics for HGS from the Pan-UK Biobank wa...

Background: Good sit-to-stand (STS) performance is an important factor in maintaining functional independence. This study investigated whether free-living STS transition volume and intensity, assessed by a thigh-worn accelerometer, is associated with characteristics related to functional independence. Methods: Free-living thigh-worn accelerometr...

Purpose Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced possibilities for activities of choice potentially threatening quality of life (QoL). We defined QoL resilience as maintaining high quality of life and studied whether walking speed, absence of loneliness, living arrangement, and stress-coping ability predict QoL resilience among older...

Purpose: Information about mobility, and physical function may be encoded in the complexity of daily activity pattern. Therefore, daily activity pattern complexity metrics could provide novel insight regarding the relationship between daily activity behaviour and health. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between the c...

Background Epigenetic clocks are based on DNA methylation (DNAm). It has been suggested that these clocks are useable markers of biological aging and premature mortality. Because genetic factors explain variations in both epigenetic aging and mortality, this association could also be explained by shared genetic factors. We investigated the influenc...

Background Outdoor mobility enables participation in essential out-of-home activities in old age. Aim To compare changes in different aspects of outdoor mobility during COVID-19 restrictions versus two years before according to self-reported walking. Methods Community-dwelling participants of AGNES study (2017–2018, initial age 75–85) responded t...

Background The usual accelerometry-based measures of physical activity (PA) are dependent on physical performance. We investigated the associations between PA relative to walking performance and the prevalence and incidence of early and advanced walking difficulties compared to generally used measures of PA. Methods Perceived walking difficulty wa...

Background Epigenetic clocks are composite markers developed to predict chronological age or mortality risk from DNA methylation (DNAm) data. The present study investigated the associations between four epigenetic clocks (Horvath’s and Hannum’s DNAmAge and DNAm GrimAge and PhenoAge) and physical functioning during a three-year follow-up. Methods W...

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the day-to-day variability and year-to-year reproducibility of an accelerometer-based algorithm for sit-to-stand (STS) transitions in a free-living environment among community-dwelling older adults. (2) Methods: Free-living thigh-worn accelerometry was recorded for three to seven days in 86...

Background Although depressive symptoms are more common among older than younger age groups, life satisfaction tends to remain stable over the life course, possibly because the underlying factors or processes differ. Aim To study whether the factors that increase the likelihood of high life satisfaction also decrease the likelihood of depressive s...

Background: Meaningful activities can be done in or around home, but opportunities for participation and active aging decrease when moving in smaller areas. Active aging refers to having an active approach to life in line with one's goals, ability and opportunities. In adults over 75 years with different baseline neighborhood mobility levels, we st...

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased older people’s opportunities to lead an active life. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether walking difficulties predict changes in leading an active life during the COVID-19 social distancing recommendation compared to 2 years before, and whether self-rated resilience moderates...

Background Older people with limited health literacy may encounter difficulties in finding relevant information on COVID-19, understanding its relevance, and complying with recommended protective measures. Complying with such recommendations has required older as well as younger persons to change their daily lives in ways that have reduced their op...

Background: While housing and neighborhood features have the potential to impact opportunities for active aging, there is a lack of knowledge related to how older people reason regarding their housing situation and how housing and fulfillment of relocation are associated with active and healthy aging. Objective: The objectives of Prospective REL...

BACKGROUND Background: While housing and neighbourhood features have the potential to impact opportunities for active ageing, there is a lack of knowledge related to how older people reason regarding their housing situation and how housing and fulfilment of relocation are associated with active and healthy ageing. OBJECTIVE Objective: The objectiv...

This study examined equity in physical activity (PA) by investigating whether perceived opportunity for PA was associated with willingness to be more active. Among community residents (75, 80, or 85 years old, n = 962) perceived opportunity for PA (poor and good), willingness to be more active (not at all, a bit, and a lot), and level of PA (low, m...

Background: Lung function is highly heritable and differs between the sexes throughout life. However, little is known about sex-differential genetic effects on lung function. We aimed to conduct the first genome-wide genotype-by-sex interaction study on lung function to identify genetic effects that differ between males and females. Methods: We tes...

Gait speed is a measure of health and functioning. Physical and cognitive determinants of gait are amenable to interventions, but best practices remain unclear. We investigated the effects of a 12‐month physical and cognitive training (PTCT) on gait speed, dual‐task cost in gait speed, and executive functions (EFs) compared to physical training (PT...

The authors examined whether accelerometer-based free-living walking differs between those reporting walking modifications or perceiving walking difficulty versus those with no difficulty. Community-dwelling 75-, 80-, or 85-year-old people ( N = 479) wore accelerometers continuously for 3–7 days, and reported whether they perceived no difficulties,...

Active aging refers to striving for well-being through preferred activity and may be restricted with declining mobility. We investigated whether psychological resilience, i.e., the ability to tolerate hardship, can aid older people in being active despite mobility limitations. Participants were 961 community-dwelling persons aged 75, 80, or 85 year...

The aim was to study various types of older adult's activity destinations (counts, frequency of visitation, and distance from home) in the pre-COVID-19 era, and to study prospectively how COVID-19-related regulations limiting mobility affected these. Using a map-based questionnaire, 75-85-year-old participants reported activity destinations, that i...

From the individual viewpoint, active aging refers to the ability of older persons, depending on their goals, functional capacity and opportunities, to engage in desired activities. This study investigated the role of health literacy in active aging among persons differing in their number of chronic conditions. Data were collected from 948 individu...

Objective: To evaluate cohort differences in cognitive performance in older men and women born and assessed 28 years apart. Methods: Data in this study were drawn from two age-homogeneous cohorts measured in the same laboratory using the same standardized cognitive performance tests. Participants in the first cohort were born in 1910 and 1914 an...

Background: Physical activity is crucial to maintain older adults' health and functioning, but the health benefits of particular activity intensities remain unclear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to peruse the distribution of physical activity, and to investigate the associations of particular physical activity intensities with body co...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to report preplanned secondary analyses of the effects of a 12-month individualized active aging counseling intervention on six mobility and physical activity outcomes. Methods: A two-arm, single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted among 75- and 80-year-old community-dwelling people. The intervent...

Objectives: To examine associations of perceived outdoor environment with the prevalence and development of adaptive (e.g., slower pace) and maladaptive (e.g., avoiding walking) modifications in walking 2 km among older people. Methods: Community-dwelling 75–90 -year-old persons (N = 848) reported environmental outdoor mobility facilitators and bar...

Background Map-based tools have recently found their way into health-related research. They can potentially be used to quantify older adults’ life-space. This study aimed to evaluate the validity (vs. GPS) and the test-retest reliability of a map-based life-space assessment (MBA). Methods Life-space of one full week was assessed by GPS and by MBA....

Background Social distancing, i.e. avoiding places with other people and staying at home, was recommended to prevent viral transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Potentially, reduced out-of-home mobility and lower activity levels among older people may lower their quality of life (QOL). We studied cross-sectional and longitudinal associations o...

Background: Physical activity (PA) of higher intensity and longer duration mainly accumulates from older adults' out-of-home activities. Outdoor PA is influenced by environmental features; however, the day-to-day variability of PA and its associations with environmental features have not been widely studied. This study focused on the associations o...

Background We define active aging as a striving for activities as per one’s goals, capacities and opportunities.AimTo test the 1-year counselling intervention effects on active aging.Methods In this two-arm single-blinded randomized controlled trial, the intervention group received individually tailored counselling supporting autonomous motivation...

Accelerometer-derived estimates of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time have been an important methodological focus. However, little is known about the daily activities among older people during their normal lives. Furthermore, some older individuals would like to be more active, yet experience an unmet PA need, which is defined as the desire...

Background: Stroke is a major cause of disability and stroke incidence increases with age. Stroke frequently results in permanent limitations of mobility, and, consequently, the need for the help of others in activities of daily living. In order to optimize rehabilitative efforts and their functional outcomes, detailed knowledge of the functional...

Background: Whether increased life expectancy is accompanied by increased functional capacity in older people at specific ages is unclear. We compared similar validated measures of maximal physical performance in two population-based older cohorts born and assessed 28 years apart. Methods: Participants in the first cohort were born in 1910 and 1...

Background Living alone is a risk factor for health decline in old age, especially when facing adverse events increasing vulnerability.AimWe examined whether living alone is associated with higher post-fracture mortality risk.Methods Participants were 190 men and 409 women aged 75 or 80 years at baseline. Subsequent fracture incidence and mortality...

Aim: To determine the relevance of features located close to home and further away, our aim was to study associations between older adults' physical activity and self-reported neighborhood destinations and barriers to outdoor mobility categorized by presence and maximal distance from home. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses comprising men and women...

Background Fatigue related to task standardized by duration and intensity, termed fatigability, could manifest as shortening of activity bouts throughout the day causing daily activity to accumulate in a more fragmented pattern. Our purpose was to study the association of activity fragmentation with physical and mental dimensions of fatigability....

Background Walking forms a large portion of physical activity (PA) of older adults. We assessed free-living PA using acceleration corresponding to preferred walking speed as a relative cut-point, and studied how it relates to age. We compared the relative cut-point to a common absolute cut-point of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Methods 444 commu...

Objective: The objective of this study is to study the associations of objectively defined hilliness with the prevalence and incidence of walking difficulties among community-dwelling older adults, and to explore whether behavioral, health, or socioeconomic factors would fully or partially explain these associations. Method: Baseline interviews (n...