A Physiological Study of the Elderly Whilst Frying

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the Heart Rate and Oxygen Consumption of the elderly whilst frying.

Methodology: In 2010, a total of 31 subjects (11 males and 20 females) from Sg. Merab, Selangor were participated in this study. They were aged between 60 to 83 years with a mean age of 67.06 years. They were asked to perform five minutes frying task and data were measured and recorded before and after performing the task. The variables investigated in this study were EKG to obtain heart rate readings and an Oxygen Gas Sensor to measure oxygen consumption. Collected data was statistically analysed.

Results: There was a 66.13% increase in oxygen consumption and 15.20% increment of heart rate after performing the task.

Conclusions: The high oxygen consumption and increasing heart rate show that frying could be an exhaustive or fatiguing task for the elderly.

Keywords: Ageing, Task performance, BADL and IADL, Independency, Heart rate, Oxygen consumption