Anthropometric and Ergonomic Approach to the Ageing: the Importance of the Multidisciplinary Study in the Act on Ageing Project (Piedmont Region).

The progressive ageing of the population needs to identify interventions to prevent mental and physical decline and to promote the maintenance of the autonomy in elderly. The Act on Ageing project (Coord, Prof. S.Ciairano-www.actonageing.eu) (January 2010-December 2012) wants to assess the effect of different training programs on physical and cognitive abilities of 400 elderly (65 years and older) in their living contest (private 189 home or residential). The study is characterized by the multidisciplinary collaboration between psychosocial, anthropological and physical sciences. The participants will be tested before and after a course of cognitive or physical activity (16 weeks) and after a follow up period (6 months). The research of the Laboratorio di Antropometria ed Ergonomia follows two different lines: - the first one, in collaboration with LIDEA (Laboratorio InterDipartimentale di Ergonomia Applicata), is an ergonomic analysis of home hazards and involves the administration of a semi-structured interview and the compilation of an observational checklist. - the second one, in collaboration with SIUSM (Scuola Universitaria Interfacoltà in Scienze Motorie), provides the quantitative measurements of anthropometric (stature, tibial length, weight, and waist circumference) and biomechanical (hand grip) parameters to evaluate the training effect.