Abstract
BackgroundA concept referred to as locomotive syndrome (LS) was proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association in order to help identify middle-aged and older adults who may be at high risk of requiring healthcare services because of problems associated with locomotion. Cardiometabolic disorders, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, have a high prevalence worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between LS and both body composition and cardiometabolic disorders.MethodsThe study participants were 165 healthy adult Japanese women volunteers living in rural areas. LS was defined as a score ≥16 on the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25). Height, body weight, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), and bone status were measured. Bone status was evaluated by quantitative ultrasound (i.e., the speed of sound [SOS] of the calcaneus) and was expressed as the percent of Young Adult Mean of the SOS (%YAM). Comorbid conditions of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes were assessed using self-report questionnaires.ResultsTwenty-nine participants (17.6 %) were classed as having LS. The LS group was older, shorter, and had a higher body fat percentage, a higher BMI, and lower bone status than the non-LS group. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that participants with a BMI ≥23.5 kg/m2 had a significantly higher risk for LS than those with a BMI <23.5 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.78, p < 0.01). Furthermore, GLFS-25 scores were higher in participants with than those without hypertension, diabetes, or obesity, and significantly increased with the number of present disorders.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that BMI may be a useful screening tool for LS. Furthermore, because hypertension and diabetes were associated with LS, the prevention of these disorders accompanied by weight management may help protect against LS.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-016-0339-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
A concept referred to as locomotive syndrome (LS) was proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association in order to help identify middle-aged and older adults who may be at high risk of requiring healthcare services because of problems associated with locomotion
We evaluated body composition using body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and bone status, and hypothesized that these variables would be predictive of 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25) scores
receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted for each body composition measure, and the threshold for discriminating the non-LS and LS groups was identified
Summary
A concept referred to as locomotive syndrome (LS) was proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association in order to help identify middle-aged and older adults who may be at high risk of requiring healthcare services because of problems associated with locomotion. The Japanese Statistics Bureau reported that as of 2015, individuals aged 65 years or older comprised 26.2 % of the Japanese population [1] Parallel with this transformation is an increase in the incidence of health issues such as stroke, senility, dementia, falls, fractures, and joint disorders, and in turn, the number of individuals requiring nursing care [2]. Maintaining a healthy locomotive system, which includes the bone, cartilage, muscle, and nervous systems, is the foundation of increased disability-free life expectancy. It follows that, from a public health perspective, preventing the deterioration of motor function is an issue that requires urgent attention. As beneficial locomotive exercises for the prevention of LS, the JOA recommends performing “half-squats” and “unipedal standing balance exercises with open eyes” [3]
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