YALE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SURVEY: DETERMINANTS OF ACTIVITY IN ELDERLY WOMEN AND MEN

Abstract

505 Low physical activity levels in the elderly are associated with greater body fatness and disease risk. Therefore, identifying factors which are associated with higher physical activity levels has public-health implications. The Yale Physical Activity Survey (YPAS) is a recent tool to quantify physical activity in the elderly, and includes measures of total hours and energy expenditure per week of activity in addition to activity scores for time spent completing vigorous activity, walking, moving, standing, and sitting. The aim of the present study was to examine what anthropometric, physiological, and physical activity indices are associated with activity determined from the YPAS in the elderly. Subjects were 25 women (age=70± 6 y; weight=65 ± 11 kg; BMI=25 ± 4 kg/m2) and 16 men(age=71 ± 6 y; weight=80 ± 10 kg; BMI=27 ± 4 kg/m2). Each subject was administered the YPAS and the Minnesota leisure time activity(LTA) questionnaire. A blood sample, supine blood pressure and heart rate were obtained, and body composition was determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Subjects also wore a Caltrac activity monitor for 9 days and completed an aerobic capacity test. Weekly physical activity energy expenditure from the YPAS correlated ( P<0.05) with aerobic capacity (r=0.33), LTA score (r=0.46), and Caltrac activity (r=0.41). More vigorous activity completed per month was associated with greater aerobic capacity (r=0.40), LTA score (r=0.55), and Caltrac activity (r=0.66), and lower percent body fat (r=-0.38), and blood cholesterol (r=-0.30) and triglyceride (r=-0.31) concentrations. These data demonstrate a positive association between weekly activity energy expenditure from the YPAS and other markers of physical activity and fitness. A greater amount of vigorous activity completed per month, as measured by the YPAS, is associated with lower body fatness and a better blood lipid profile. Future studies need to validate the YPAS against more criterion measures of physical activity such as doubly labeled water.