Purpose We developed and evaluated a simple, robust and valid self-administered questionnaire for the estimation of physical activity (PA). Here, we examined the validity of this questionnaire in subjects with differing sex, ages, occupations and living circumstances. Methods The questionnaire consists of four domains, namely occupational activity, including housekeeping and commuting; leisure time activity; sleeping; and other activities. It was validated with 8-day, 24-h physical activity records (24 h-R) as the gold standard in 110 volunteers. ResultsTotal PA estimated by the questionnaire and the 24 h-R showed a moderately strong correlation (r = 0.69). Correlations between total PA by the PAQ and the 24 h-R for various subgroups, such as sex, age, area, occupation and BMI, were moderate to strong (0.55-0.80). Validity of domain-specific PA calculated by the questionnaire was also moderate to high. Conclusion This simple questionnaire produces valid estimates of total and domain-specific PA and can be applied to a broad population.

This study determined whether there is an association between social capital and a composite outcome of decline in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and death by gender. A prospective 3.5 year cohort study was conducted in a rural town in Japan. The study participants were 984 individuals aged 65 years and older with not impaired on ADL at 2010 baseline survey. Social participation and generalized trust were measured as social capital. The individual level responses were dichotomized and aggregated into the community level (eight areas). Multilevel logistic regression adjusting for covariates revealed that social participation at the individual level was significantly associated with higher odds of composite outcome (OR of “not participate” = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.38–2.81). Regarding generalized trust, only in men, there was an inverse association at the community level (OR of “low” = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32–0.96), and a positive association at the individual level (OR of “tend to be careful” = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.27–3.90). These results suggest that social capital were associated with a decline in ADL and death and that the association may differ by gender.

Examining elderly people's responses to questions about pain at night and difficulties performing daily activities may be an efficient way of identifying those at high risk of developing depressive symptoms.