The Role of Physical Activity and Functional Fitness on Perceived Health in Aging

Abstract

Regular physical activity (PA) carries many important health benefits; however it is not easy to motivate older people to adopt a physically active lifestyle [1]. Inactivity tends to increase with age and is more common among women than men. Living alone has also been shown as an encouragement to sedentarism, limiting their functionality and independence. PURPOSE: to determine the influence of functional fitness (FF) and PA level on the perceived health (PH) in the elderly. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine PH, PA, FF and Falls Prevalence (FP). 350 older adults (74.2±7.9 yrs; 70% women and 30%men) volunteered to participate in the study. PH and FP were assessed using a questionnaire designed for this purpose. PA was calculated through YPAS [2]. FF was evaluated by UG and CS tests from SFT [3], and balance obtained through "item 1, 4, 5 and 7" of FAB Scale [4]. Trained examiners administered the questionnaires and FF tests. At the end of the screening session, participants received a report concerning their test results. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS. Spearman's bivariate correlation was used to identify associations among PH, PA, FF and FP. Mann-Whitney test was used to identify differences between PH, PA, FF, FP according to gender and living-alone condition. RESULTS: Positive association was observed among PH, PA and FF (R: 0.20-0.37; p≤0.001). FP and daily-hours-spent-sitting were negatively associated (R: -0.27; p≤0.002). Women have higher PH (z=2.00, p=0.046), balance-item1 (z=2.57, p=0.010), total-activity-time (z=3.14, p=0.002), energy expenditure (z=2.8 p=0.005). Subjects who live together have also higher PH (z=3.00, p=0.003), balance-item1, 4 (z=2.71, 2.94; p=0.010, 0.003, respectively), and vigorous activity score (z=2.00, p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that older adults with higher levels of PA and FF have better PH. Furthermore this association was stronger in women, probably due to their daily living routines (i.e. housekeeping, shopping). Social support, such as living together, seems to improve PH, which may be explained by greater engagement in vigorous activity. REFERENCES: [1] CDC (1996) Surgeon General Report: PA&H, [2] Dipietro, et al (1993) MSSE 25(5), 628-642, [3] Rikli & Jones (2001) SFT Manual. HK, [4] Rose (2002) Fall Proof. HK