Abstract
This study aimed to (1) establish age- and sex-specific functional fitness (FF) norms in Chinese older adults living in urban communities and (2) explore ageing-related degradations and sex differences in each FF dimension. A pool of 2398 individuals (1128 men; 1270 women) aged 60–98 years were recruited from urban communities of Nanjing, China. FF was measured using the Senior Fitness Test battery. FF norms were established for men and women in 5-year age intervals using five percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th). Significant degradations in FF were correlated with increases in age. Around half of test items in 75–79 years group (3 for men; 4 for women) and over half in 80–84 years group (5 for men; 4 for women) exhibited significant decreases in FF compared with the adjacent younger group, indicating that ages of 75 and 80 years are two potential turning points in FF declines. Significant differences existed between the overall FF of men and women; women outperformed men in flexibility and men outperformed women in upper body strength, agility/dynamic balance, and aerobic endurance. Significant age and sex effects occurred in each fitness dimension, which helps individualised program design and promotes an active lifestyle in older adults.
Highlights
This study aimed to (1) establish age- and sex-specific functional fitness (FF) norms in Chinese older adults living in urban communities and (2) explore ageing-related degradations and sex differences in each FF dimension
The present study is the first to establish sex-specific FF norms in 5-year age intervals based on a pool of Chinese adults aged ≥ 60 years who lived in urban communities in mainland China
These results indicate that the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) is a feasible and safe test battery for independent Chinese older adults
Summary
This study aimed to (1) establish age- and sex-specific functional fitness (FF) norms in Chinese older adults living in urban communities and (2) explore ageing-related degradations and sex differences in each FF dimension. The percentage of people aged ≥ 60 years in China has increased from 8.5 to 17.4% in the past 30 years, and the percentage is expected to reach 24.8% by 20502 Such a demographic shift has brought and will continue to bring various challenges, and understanding how to maintain and improve the wellbeing of older adults is a pertinent c oncern[3]. The present study aimed to establish the FF norms of Chinese adults aged ≥ 60 years who reside in urban communities and to identify the degradation pattern of each FF dimension with increases of age. The results from this study can elucidate the current FF situation of Chinese older adults, which may help policymakers draft health-related regulations and assist clinical practitioners with initialising exercise programmes
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