Background-Physical performance is a key factor that determines how older people cope with daily tasks and maintain independency. There is strong evidence suggesting that physical activity (PA) is important in maintaining physical performance in old age. However, most studies have been done using self-reported PA. Our aim was to explore the association between objectively measured PA and physical performance in old age.

The aim of the study was to examine the association between change in leisure‐time physical activity (LTPA) and change in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms of depression during a 10‐year follow‐up. This prospective study included 1036 men and women (mean age at baseline = 61.2 years) from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Leisure‐time physical activity was measured with a questionnaire, HRQoL with SF36 and depression symptoms with Beck's depression inventory (BDI). The association between the change in LTPA and change in HRQoL and BDI were investigated with sex‐stratified general linear models adjusted for age, smoking, educational attainment, comorbidity score, and baseline value of outcomes. One standard deviation (SD) increase in LTPA was associated with increase in physical summary component of HRQoL in women (B = 0.7 unit, 95% CI = 0.1‐1.3, P = 0.032) and in men (B = 0.8 unit, 95% CI = 0.2‐1.5, P = 0.014). In women, the 1SD increase in LTPA was also associated with an increase in mental summary component score (B = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.3‐1.7, P = 0.005) and a reduction in depressive symptoms (B = −0.7, 95% CI = −1.1 to −0.2, P = 0.003). In conclusion, increase in the volume of LTPA over a 10‐year period in late adulthood was associated with improved HRQoL in both men and women, and also diminished depressive symptoms in women. The findings support the promotion of physical activity in later years to enhance HRQoL and mental well‐being.

Background: Telomeres are crucial parts of chromosomes that protect the genome. They shorten every time the cell replicates, and shorter telomeres have been associated with increasing age and with many health behaviours. There is inconclusive evidence on the association between physical activity (PA) and telomere length. Objectives: To examine how leisure-time PA (LTPA) is associated with telomere length and telomere attrition during 10 years of follow-up in elderly people. Design: This study is a 10-year prospective follow-up study. Method: For this prospective study, we ex

There is strong evidence that physical activity (PA) has an influence on physical performance in later life. Also, a small body size at birth has been associated with lower physical functioning in older age and both small and high birth weight have shown to be associated with lower leisure time physical activity. However, it is unknown whether size at birth modulates the association between PA and physical performance in old age. We examined 695 individuals from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study born in Helsinki, Finland between 1934 and 1944. At a mean age of 70.7 years PA was objectively assessed with a multisensory activity monitor and physical performance with the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). Information on birth weight and gestational age was retrieved from hospital birth records. The study participants were divided in three birth weight groups, that is <3000 g, 3000-3499 g and ⩾3500 g. The volume of PA was significantly associated with the physical performance in all birth weight groups. However, the effect size of the association was large and significant only in men with a birth weight <3000 g (β 0.59; 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.81, P<0.001). Our study shows that the association between PA and physical performance is largest in men with low birth weight. Our results suggest that men with low birth weight might benefit most from engaging in PA in order to maintain a better physical performance.