Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:20:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LucineireLO_TESE.pdf: 2390062 bytes, checksum: b8b5cfe03a56372450aadfd38217fdbd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-09-29 / It discusses the Health Care of the Elderly in the town of Mossor?, traversing the paths that discussed the history of health care, which has been altered by the new (con) formation and required adjustments of society which led the development and implementation of the National Health Care for the Elderly with the backdrop of the guiding principles of the Health System - SUS. The goals outlined were: To map the implementation of the policy of health care for the elderly in Mossor? considering whether this is based on the principles and guidelines of the NHS and National Health Policy of the Elderly; Check if health promotion is seen as a strategy that favors the elderly mossoroenses the possibility of healthy aging; identify the discourse of the elderly about the aging process and the strategies you use to take care of your needs. Applies as a methodological strategy BOAS, complemented by interviews with twenty (20) elderly residents of Mossor? with a view to understand the objective elements, and the political and subjective traits that express a regularity which marks the area of health care mossoroense elderly. The data were tabulated and the BOAS divided into nine sections for analysis. The speeches were transcribed seized and subjected to a thorough reading that allowed the visualization of issues that have been examined with theoretical and methodological support to the model proposed by Boaventura de Souza Santos (2006) designated this cosmopolitan reason being supported by three meta-sociological procedures, namely, the sociology of absences, the sociology of translation work and emergencies. It appears as a result the exclusion and discrimination of the elderly in different social settings, a condition that prevents them from being aware of their importance as citizens deserving of decent treatment and respect for the family, society and the government, when addressing health the elderly said the need to propose alternative models of care that has the paradigm of health promotion. We conclude that in these areas, meetings are held, to draw lines that were heterogeneous because they were built by the dissimilarities that engender incessantly and show that although we have advanced regarding the attention of the elderly in Mossor? there is still a long way to go in order to meet the needs revealed by the elderly. It is suggested that the practice of trial-creation-differentiation, while highlighting the historical and procedural dimension, deconstructions and negotiations with collective effects. A democratic paradigm and analytical creeps: the constitution are moments of Health Care for the Elderly shaping a new landscape in the town of Mossor?. / Discute-se a Aten??o ? Sa?de do Idoso no munic?pio de Mossor?, percorrendo-se os caminhos que discutiram a hist?ria da aten??o ? sa?de, que foi sendo alterada pela nova (con)forma??o et?ria da sociedade e exigiu adequa??es que deram lugar a elabora??o e implementa??o da Pol?tica Nacional de Aten??o ? Sa?de do Idoso tendo como pano de fundo os princ?pios norteadores do Sistema ?nico de Sa?de SUS. Os objetivos delineados foram: Cartografar a implementa??o da pol?tica de aten??o ? sa?de do idoso em Mossor? considerando se esta tem por base os princ?pios e diretrizes do SUS e da Pol?tica Nacional de Sa?de da Pessoa Idosa; Verificar se a promo??o ? sa?de ? tida como estrat?gia que favorece aos idosos mossoroenses a possibilidade de um envelhecimento saud?vel; Identificar o discurso dos idosos acerca do processo de envelhecimento e das estrat?gias que utiliza para dar conta das suas necessidades. Aplica-se como estrat?gia metodol?gica o question?rio BOAS, complementado por entrevistas com vinte (20) idosos residentes em Mossor?, na perspectiva de entender os elementos objetivos, e os tra?os pol?ticos e subjetivos que expressam a regularidade que marca o espa?o da aten??o ? sa?de do idoso mossoroense. Os dados do BOAS foram tabulados e divididos em nove se??es para an?lise. Os discursos apreendidos foram transcritos e submetidos a uma leitura aprofundada que permitiu a visualiza??o de temas que foram analisados tendo como suporte te?rico-metodol?gico o modelo proposto por Boaventura de Souza Santos (2006) designado raz?o cosmopolita sendo esta fundamentada por tr?s procedimentos meta-sociol?gicos, a saber: a sociologia das aus?ncias, a sociologia das emerg?ncias e o trabalho de tradu??o. Constata-se como resultados a exclus?o e discrimina??o dos idosos nos diferentes cen?rios sociais, condi??o que n?o os impede de serem conscientes da sua import?ncia como cidad?os merecedores de tratamento digno e respeitoso pela fam?lia, sociedade e, pelo poder p?blico; ao discorrerem sobre a sa?de, os idosos afirmaram a necessidade de se propor modelos alternativos de aten??o que tenha como norte o paradigma da promo??o ? sa?de. Conclui-se que nestes espa?os, realizam-se encontros, desenham-se linhas que se mostraram heterog?neas porque foram constru?das pelas dessemelhan?as que se engendram incessantemente e que demonstram que apesar de termos avan?ado no tocante a aten??o do idoso em Mossor? ainda h? um caminho longo a percorrer no sentido de atender ?s necessidades explicitadas pelos idosos. Sugere-se a pr?tica da cria??o-experimenta??o-diferencia??o, ao destacar a dimens?o hist?rico-processual, desconstru??es e negocia??es com efeitos coletivos. Um paradigma democr?tico e anal?tico se insinua: s?o momentos da constitui??o da Aten??o ? Sa?de do Idoso delineando uma nova paisagem no munic?pio de Mossor?.

I samband med åldrandet ses ofta en försämring av människors kognitiva förmågor, däribland det episodiska minnet, vilket är avgörande för vardagligt fungerande och livskvalitén för äldre. Livsstilsfaktorer som fysisk aktivitet (FA) och övervikt har tidigare kopplats till hälsosamt åldrande och visat sig påverka graden av försämring. Hur FA och övervikt interagerar på lång sikt för att påverka det episodiska minnet för äldre behöver dock fortfarande utredas. Denna studie undersökte både de enskilda effekterna av FA och övervikt på det episodiska minnet, samt hur dessa faktorer interagerar på lång sikt. Därtill undersöktes skillnader mellan sjuka och friska äldre deltagare. Data från deltagare (n = 5 287) i the English Longitudinal Study on Aging i åldrarna 50 och äldre användes i ett longitudinellt upplägg. Självskattade mått på FA och viktstatus från en tidpunkt användes för att predicera poäng på ett minnestest vid en tidpunkt fyra år senare, med och utan kontrollvariabler. Statistiskt signifikanta effekter av FA på minne kunde ses både med och utan kontrollvariabler, men tydliga effekter av övervikt kunde inte ses. Interaktioner mellan övervikt och FA kunde endast upptäckas i modeller utan kontrollvariabler, och inte alls i modeller med enbart sjuka deltagare. Slutsatser om överviktens påverkan på det episodiska minnet kunde inte dras, men resultatet ger vidare stöd till att FA hjälper till att bevara minnet i åldrandet. Sammantaget förklarades dock mer av variansen i episodiskt minne av kontrollvariabler som ålder och utbildningsnivå. / With aging often comes declining cognitive function, with episodic memory being one of the declining factors crucial for everyday functioning and quality of life among the elderly. Lifestyle factors such as physical activity (PA) and overweight have been associated with healthy aging and the trajectory of the decline. How PA and overweight interact in affecting episodic memory over time among the elderly is, however, still in need of further investigation. The present thesis investigated both the direct effects of PA and overweight on episodic memory, and how the interaction between these factors affect episodic memory. Furthermore, differences in the effects between participants with or without illnesses were examined. Data from participants (n = 5 287) in the English Longitudinal Study on Aging aged 50 and older were used in a longitudinal design. Self-reported measures of PA as well as measures of weight- status from time point 1 was used to predict scores on a memory test at a second time point, four years later, with and without control variables. Statistically significant effects of PA on memory score were detected, both with and without control variables. No statistically significant effects of overweight were detected. Interactions between overweight and PA could only be detected in models without control variables, and not at all among participants with illnesses. Conclusions on the effect of overweight on episodic memory could not be reached, but further support is lent to PA’s role in preserving memory function in aging. In closing more of the variance in episodic memory was attributed to other factors such as increasing age and higher education levels.

No description available.

Le fonctionnement visuel est sujet à des modification avec le vieillissement sain. Que ce soit l’identification, le traitement ou la perception d’un stimulus visuel, l’avancée en âge peut s’accompagner d’une altération de la vision. Afin d’investiguer les caractéristiques temporelles du traitement visuel dans le vieillissement sain, la présente étude utilise une tâche de reconnaissance d’images achromatiques d’objets communs à l’aide de la technique d’échantillonnage temporel aléatoire. Cette technique permet de révéler les mécanismes oscillatoires visuels en jeux dans la réalisation d’une tâche perceptive. 32 participants, divisés en deux groupes de 16, soit des jeunes adultes (18 - 35 ans) et des personnes âgées entre 60 et 85 ans ont pris part à l’étude. Les résultats qu’offrent la technique d’échantillonnage temporel sont appelés des images de classification (IC) et montrent la variation de l’efficacité du traitement visuel à travers le temps et dans le domaine temps-fréquence. Pour chacun des domaines, les IC sont également décomposées selon leurs spectres de puissance et de phase par une analyse de Fourier. Les résultats montrent des différences significatives entre les groupes pour les IC temporelles et temps-fréquence. De plus, autant dans le domaine temporel que temps-fréquence, ce sont les spectres de phase qui se distinguent significativement entre les deux groupes alors que les spectres de puissance des IC ne diffèrent pas. Il apparaît donc que les mécanismes oscillatoires en jeu pour la réalisation de la tâche de reconnaissance d’objets sont différents d’un groupe à l’autre. Spécifiquement, il s’agirait de la chronologie de leur engagement dans la tâche qui diffère. / Visual function is subject to some modifications with healthy aging. Whether it is the identification, processing, or perception of a visual stimulus, advancing age can be accompanied by an alteration of vision. To investigate the temporal characteristics of visual processing in healthy aging, the present study uses a recognition task of achromatic images of common object using the random temporal sampling technique. This technique reveals the visual oscillatory mechanisms at play in the realization of a perceptual task. 32 participants, divided into two groups of 16, young adults (18-35 years old) and elderly between 60 and 85 years old took part in this study. The results of the temporal sampling technique are called classification images (CI) and show the variation of visual processing efficiency across time and time-frequency domain. For each domain, CIs were also decomposed according to their power and phase spectra by Fourier analysis. The results show significant differences between groups for the time and time-frequency CIs. In addition, both in the time and time-frequency domains, it is the phase spectra that differ significantly between groups whereas the power spectra do not differ. It thus appears that the oscillatory mechanisms involved in carrying out object recognition are different from one group to another. Specifically, it is the timing of the engagement of these oscillatory mechanisms that differs between groups.

Inledningen beskriver Skåneidrottens projekt Senior Sport School, som bygger på de fyra hörnpelarna för ett gott åldrande, det vill säga fysisk aktivitet, social gemenskap, meningsfullhet och kunskap om kostvanor. Senior Sport School är en idrottsskola som uppmuntrar seniorer till ett livslångt idrottande. Tidigare forskning framhåller vikten av att bibehålla fysisk vardagsfunktion, social gemenskap och goda kostvanor i senior ålder för att främja självständighet och oberoende från vården. Syftet med studien var att undersöka pensionärers upplevelser av aktiviteter genomförda i Senior Sport School och hur dessa aktiviteter kan relateras till ett hälsosamt åldrande. Metoden är kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer och deltagarna i studien valdes utifrån tidigare medverkan i Senior Sport School. Resultatet framställs genom de teman som framträdde i intervjuerna, dessa var hälsosamt åldrande, social gemenskap, lärande och idrottskulturens betydelse. I diskussionen lyfts att idrottsskolan upplevs som en viktig social plattform. Det dolda lärandet som seniorerna får genom idrottsskolan har en central roll. Idrottsskolan kan ses som ett stöd i seniorernas lärandeprocess så att de kan förstå och använda sig av hälsoinformation för att förbättra sin hälsa. Konklusionen är att idrottsskola för seniorer upplevs spela en viktig roll för ett hälsosamt åldrande. Social gemenskap och fysisk aktivitet lyft av deltagarna som betydelsefulla men Senior Sport School kan även ses som en viktig del i seniorers kunskapsutveckling. Studiens resultat är positivt för folkhälsan i stort men det krävs fortsatt forskning för att nå ut till flera grupper i samhället. / The introduction presents Skåneidrottens project Senior Sport School, which is based on the four cornerstones of prosperous ageing, i.e. physical activity, social connections, meaningfulness and dietary education. Senior Sport School encourages seniors to a lifelong sport participation. Previous research emphasizes the importance of maintaining physical functionality, social connections and good dietary habits in older age to promote self-reliance and independence from health care. The aim of the study is to investigate pensioners´ views on their participation in activities conducted at Senior Sport School, and whether their experiences can be related to healthy ageing. The method is qualitative semi-structured interviews and participants in the study were selected based on previous participation in Senior Sport School. The results are produced through the themes of the interviews. The themes are healthy ageing, social connections, education and the importance of sporting culture. The discussion emphasizes that Senior Sport School is perceived as an important social platform. The hidden education that seniors receive through Senior Sport School has a central role. Senior Sport School is a support in the seniors´ education process so that they can understand and use the information to improve their health. The conclusion is that a sport school for seniors plays an important role in healthy ageing. Social connections and physical activity is highlighted by the participants as significant, but Senior Sport School is also an important part of seniors´ education development. The study´s results are positive for public health, but further research is needed to engage other groups in society.

[pt] Este trabalho teve como motivação o atual e crescente fenômeno do envelhecimento e longevidade da população. Ele traz o registro de uma abordagem do design sobre o tema envelhecimento e pretende explorar o potencial da atividade em contribuir para qualidade de vida dos maiores de 60 anos. Tendo em vista que o design tem como resultado final a construção de produtos e serviços tangíveis, este trabalho inclui três ações próprias do processo ou modo de pensar e fazer do design. São elas: (1) direcionamento e acompanhamento de turmas da disciplina Projeto Avançado – Produção e Distribuição em prol da qualidade de vida do idoso, do curso da graduação em design da PUC-Rio; (2) estudo para identificação de demandas e geração de soluções para e com idosos moradores da Gávea; e (3) desenvolvimento do protótipo de design de serviço de educação continuada PUC-Rio mais de 50. Este trabalho foi norteado pela premissa de que o público idoso é diverso e não tem tido suas necessidades atendidas pelos produtos e serviços existentes. Foi norteado, também, pela ideia de que o design pode atender necessidades além das mecânicas e funcionais consequentes das limitações ocasionadas pelo avanço da idade. Nesse sentido, este trabalho teve como ponto de partida seis perspectivas do design emocional, abordagem que tem como foco atender necessidades de natureza emocional e não tangíveis. Essas perspectivas, identificadas em estudos anteriores, foram revistas e adequadas com base em pesquisa bibliográfica e estudo de campo sobre o público idoso, e transformaram-se nas seguintes possíveis frentes de ação em: (1) design para resgate e manutenção da identidade (que contempla demandas como autonomia, independência e liberdade); (2) design para sociabilidade (que contempla demandas como criação de novos vínculos sociais e fortalecimento dos já existentes); (3) design para cidadania (que contempla demandas como engajamento social, político e econômico); (4) design para bem-estar (que contempla demandas como equilíbrio mental e espiritual); (5) design para autoestima (que contempla demandas como orgulho próprio e cuidado consigo mesmo); e (6) design para o humor (que contempla demandas como rir e se divertir). / [en] This work had as motivation the current and growing aging phenomenon of the population. It shows the records of design s approach to the aging theme and intends to explore the activity s potential in contributing to the life quality of the over 60 s. Knowing that design has as a final result the building of tangible products and services, this work includes three examples of the process and way of thinking from design. They are: (1) directing and following classes from the discipline Advanced Project – Production and Distribution for the elder s life quality, from the graduation in design course at PUC-Rio; (2) study to identify demands and generating solutions to and with elders from Gávea, Rio de Janeiro and (3) development of the service design and continued education PUC-Rio mais de 50 (PUC-Rio over 50 s). This work was guided by the premise that the elder public is diverse and hasn t had it s needs attended by the existing products and services. It was also guided by the idea that design can provide for beyond the mechanical and functional needs caused by the limitations brought by age advance. In this way this work had as a starting point the perspectives of emotional design: an approach that had as focus attending emotional needs and not tangible ones, plus six perspectives of action, identified in previous studies. This categories were reviewed and adapted according to the bibliographic research and field study on the elder public and became: (1) design for the rescue and maintenance of identity (which contemplates demands as autonomy, independence and freedom); (2) design for sociability (which contemplates demands as the creation of new social connections and strengthening of the remaining ones); (3) design for citizenship (which contemplates demands as engagement in social, political and economical matters); (4) design for the well being (which contemplates demands as mental and spiritual balance); (5) design for the self esteem (which contemplates demands as self pride and self care); (6) design for the humor (which contemplates demands as laughter and fun).

Submitted by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2016-09-14T16:15:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2412011 bytes, checksum: adf2606f46d74fde5f51bff921362506 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-14T16:15:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2412011 bytes, checksum: adf2606f46d74fde5f51bff921362506 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Human aging causes different decline in many cognitive function. Episodic processing, among all memory systems, shows to be the most affected along aging. The episodic memory is a subsystem of memory responsible for receiving and storing information about certain episodes or events, temporally dated, high lighting a spatiotemporal relationship between them. One way of assessing this construct would be using behavioral criteria for identifying information about what happening, where and when, which are the basic components of “What-Where-When” paradigm, or else, by proposing to replace the temporal component by context, “What-Where-Which” paradigm. Thus, the objective of this research was to analyze the effect of aging on episodic memory, assessed by two experimental paradigms, to study the correlation of these tests with classic measures of episodic memory. We used a sample with 70 volunteers, divided in two group: younger (N = 35, M = 22,74; SD= 2,99) and older (N = 35, M = 62,54; SD = 4,82) adults. The evaluation protocol was composed of: (i) test based on the paradigm "What-Where-When"; (ii) test based on the paradigm "What-Where-Which"; (iii) classic episodic memory tests; and (iv) a neuropsychological battery, the latter being applied only to the elderly group. The results showed that different episodic memory task apparently measuring something in common. Comparisons between group showed effective impairment associated with aging for all aspects evaluated by the test "What-Where-When", and the integration aspect was the component that suffered the greatest decline associated with age [F(1, 68)= 53,86; p < .001; η² = .442]. Other results showed that Free Recall also presented decline [F(1, 68)= 18,60; p < .001; η² = .215]. However, it was not found significant differences between groups for the task based on the paradigm "What-Where-Which". The findings of this study show that task-based paradigm "What-Where-When" and "What-Where-Which" are promising instruments for measurement of episodic memory. However, apparently the temporal aspect was more sensitive to detect possible changes related to age. / O envelhecimento humano provoca declínios em diversas funções cognitivas. O processamento episódico, dentro todos os sistemas de memória, demonstra ser um dos mais afetados durante a velhice. A memória episódica é um subsistema mnemônico responsável por receber e armazenar informações sobre determinados episódios ou eventos temporalmente datados, existindo uma relação espaço-temporal entre eles. Uma forma de avaliação desse construto seria através de critérios comportamentais para identificação de informações sobre o que aconteceu, onde e quando, sendo esses os componentes básicos do paradigma “Que-Onde-Quando”, ou então, por meio de outra proposta que substitui o componente temporal pelo contextual “Que-Onde-Qual contexto”. Diante disso, o presente trabalho objetivou analisar o efeito da idade sobre a memória de integração, mensurada por dois paradigmas experimentais, e estudar os correlatos destas tarefas com medidas clássicas de memória episódica. Para tal utilizou-se uma amostra de 70 voluntários, dividida em dois grupos: Adultos jovens - GA (N = 35, M = 22,74; DP= 2,99) e Idosos – GI (N = 35, M = 62,54; DP = 4,82). O protocolo de avaliação utilizado foi composto por: (i) Teste baseado no paradigma “Que-Onde-Quando”; (ii) Teste baseado no paradigma “Que-Onde-Qual contexto”; (iii) Testes clássicos de memória episódica; e (iv) uma bateria neuropsicológica, sendo essa última aplicada apenas ao grupo de idosos. Os resultados mostraram que as diferentes medidas de memória episódica utilizadas aparentemente estão medindo algo em comum. As comparações efetivamente mostraram haver comprometimento, associado ao envelhecimento, de todos os aspectos avaliados pelo teste baseado no paradigma “Que-Onde-Quando”, sendo a “integração” o componente que sofreu maior declínio proporcional associado ao aumento da idade [F(1, 68)= 53,86; p < .001; η² = .442]. Achados similares a esse também foram verificados para tarefa de Recordação Livre Imediata (testes clássico de memória episódica) [F(1, 68)= 18,60; p < .001; η² = .215]. Entretanto, não foi registrada diferença significativa entre os grupos para a tarefa baseada no paradigma “Que-Onde-Qual contexto”. Os achados do presente estudo evidenciaram que tarefas baseadas no paradigma “Que-Onde-Quando” e “Que-Onde-Qual contexto” são promissores instrumentos válidos de mensuração da memória episódica. Porém, aparentemente a proposta relacionada ao aspecto temporal mostrou-se mais sensível para detecção de possíveis alterações relacionadas à idade.

Background: To define age-related changes in the visual field by comparing 'standard' central and unique peripheral visual field measurements in healthy volunteers. Methods: In a single center, retrospective, Cross-sectional, observational study, 20 volunteers with no retinal diseases or risk factors, ranging in age between 30 and 94 years (four age groups: 30’s, 50’s, 70’s, 90’s) were measured in one eye (preferentially the right one) using a Humphrey visual field 24–2 and 60–4. Results: While the central visual field remained relatively well preserved during aging showing only a mild reduction in sensitivity, a profound loss of the peripheral visual field was observed beginning in the fifth decade of life and decreasing continuously up to the 90ies. Conclusions: The peripheral visual field declined substantially from the 4th decade onward while the central visual field remained quite stable.

No description available.

Global rise in life expectancy has resulted in an increased demand for affordable healthcare and monitoring services. The advent of miniature and low–power sensor technologies coupled with the emergence of the Internet–of–Things has paved the way towards affordable health monitoring tools in wearable platforms. However, ensuring power–efficient operation, data accuracy and user comfort are critical for such wearable systems. This thesis focuses on the development of accurate and computationally efficient algorithms and low–cost, unobtrusive devices with potential predictive capability for monitoring mobility and cardiac health in a wearable platform. A three–stage complementary filter–based approach is developed to realize a computationally efficient method to estimate sensor orientation in real–time. A gradient descent–based approach is used to estimate the gyroscope integration drift, which is subsequently subtracted from the integrated gyroscope data to get the sensor orientation. This predominantly gyroscope–based orientation estimation approach is least affected by external acceleration and magnetic disturbances. A two–stage complementary filter–based efficient sensor fusion algorithm is developed for real–time monitoring of lower–limb joints that estimates the IMU inclinations in the first stage and uses a gradient descent–based approach in the second stage to estimate the joint angles. The proposed method estimates joint angles primarily from the gyroscope measurements without incorporating the magnetic field measurement, rendering the estimated angles least affected by any external acceleration and insensitive to magnetic disturbances. An IMU–based simple, low–cost and computationally efficient gait–analyzer is developed to track the course of an individual's gait health in a continuous fashion. Continuous monitoring of gait patterns can potentially enable detecting musculoskeletal or neurodegenerative diseases at the early onset. The proposed gait analyzer identifies an anomalous gait with moderate to high accuracy by evaluating the gait features with respect to the baseline clusters corresponding to an individual’s healthy peer group. The adoption of a computationally efficient signal analysis technique renders the analyzer suitable for systems with limited processing capabilities. A flexible dry capacitive electrode and a wireless ECG monitoring system with automatic anomaly detection capability are developed. The flexible capacitive electrode reduces motion artifacts and enables sensing bio–potential over a dielectric material such as cotton cloth. The virtual ground of the electrode allows for obtaining single–lead ECG using two electrodes only. ECG measurements obtained over different types of textile materials and in presence of body movements show comparable performance to other reported ECG monitoring systems. An algorithm is developed separately as a potential extension of the software to realize automatic identification of Atrial Fibrillation from short single–lead ECGs. The association between human gait and cardiac activities is studied. The gait is measured using wearable IMUs and the cardiac activity is measured with a single–lead handheld ECG monitor. Some key cardiac parameters, such as heart rate and heart rate variability and physical parameters, such as age and BMI show good association with gait asymmetry and gait variation. These associations between gait and heart can be useful in realizing low–cost in–home personal monitoring tool for early detecting CVD–related changes in gait features before the CVD symptoms are manifested. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Wearable health monitoring systems can be a viable solution to meet the increased demand for affordable healthcare and monitoring services. However, such systems need to be energy–efficient, accurate and ergonomic to enable long–term monitoring of health reliably while preserving user comfort. In this thesis, we develop efficient algorithms to obtain real–time estimates of on–body sensors' orientation, gait parameters such as stride length, and gait velocity and lower–limb joint angles. Furthermore, we develop a simple, low–cost and computationally efficient gait–analyzer using miniature and low–power inertial motion units to track the health of human gait in a continuous fashion. In addition, we design flexible, dry capacitive electrodes and use them to develop a portable single–lead electrocardiogram (ECG) device. The flexible design ensures better conformity of the electrode to the skin, resulting in better signal quality. The capacitive nature allows for obtaining ECG signals over insulating materials such as cloth, thereby potentially enabling a comfortable means of long–term cardiac health monitoring at home. Besides, we implement an automatic anomaly detection algorithm that detects Atrial Fibrillation with good accuracy from short single–lead ECGs. Finally, we investigate the association between gait and cardiac activities. We observe that some important cardiac signs, such as heart rate and heart rate variability and physical parameters, such as age and BMI show good association with gait asymmetry and gait variation.