Physical Activity Levels of Middle-aged and Elderly Women in Hokkaido and Sakhalin

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical activity level of inhabitants living in snowy and cold regions. Samples are 12 Japanese (Hokkaido) and 13 Russian (Sakhalin) middle-aged and elderly female subjects and their daytime heart rates were measured. Eight of Japanese subjects took a class in calisthenic exercise once a week and five of the Russian subjects in aerobic dance twice a week. The mean of daytime heart rate in the Russian subjects (82.7±5.2beats/min) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that in the Japanese subjects (76.6±6.0beats/min). However, the result does not necessarily indicate that the Russian subjects are more active than the Japanese subjects since the difference was thought to have been caused by higher level of heart rate even at rest in the Russian subjects. During no-exercise days, only one of 13 Russian subjects and none of the 12 Japanese subjects satisfied the required intensity and duration of exercise essential for health maintenance that is recommended by American College of Sports Medicine (1990) or Japanese Ministry of Welfare (1989). The aerobic dance seemed to be effective for the maintenance of fitness since the heart rate in four of five subjects during aerobic exercise exceeded the target heart rate level for more than 20 minutes.