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BackgroundSelf-rated health (SRH) is reported as a reliable predictor of disability and mortality in the aged population and has been studied worldwide to enhance the quality of life of the elderly. Nowadays, the elderly living alone, a particular population at great risk of suffering physical and mental health problems, is increasing rapidly in Japan and could potentially make up the majority of the aged population. However, few data are available pertaining to SRH of this population. Given the fact that sufficient healthcare is provided to the disabled elderly whereas there is little support for non-disabled elderly, we designed this population-based survey to investigate SRH of non-disabled elderly living alone and to identify the factors associated with good SRH with the purpose of aiding health promotion for the elderly.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in a metropolitan suburb in Japan. Questionnaires pertaining to SRH and physical conditions, lifestyle factors, psychological status, and social activities, were distributed in October 2005 to individuals aged ≥ 65 years and living alone. Response rate was 75.1%. Among these respondents, a total of 600 male and 2587 female respondents were identified as non-disabled elderly living alone and became our subjects. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with good SRH and sex-specific effect was tested by stepwise logistic regression.ResultsGood SRH was reported by 69.8% of men and 73.8% of women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that good SRH correlated with, in odds ratio sequence, "can go out alone to distant places", no depression, no weight loss, absence of self-rated chronic disease, good chewing ability, and good visual ability in men; whereas with "can go out alone to distant places", absence of self-rated chronic disease, no weight loss, no depression, no risk of falling, independent IADL, good chewing ability, good visual ability, and social integration (attend) in women.ConclusionFor the non-disabled elderly living alone, sex-appropriate support should be considered by health promotion systems from the view point of SRH. Overall, the ability to go out alone to distant places is crucial to SRH of both men and women.

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ObjectivesWe aimed to assess the correlation between muscle strength and muscle mass based on sex and age, and their association with walking speed, which is a health predictor for independent living, in elderly Japanese individuals.MethodsThe participants included 318 (111 men, 207 women) community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals aged ≥65 years. Knee extension strength was assessed as an indicator of muscle strength, and bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to measure muscle mass. The maximum walking speed of participants was recorded. All measurements were categorized based on sex and age groups as follows: young-old (age, 65–74 years) and old-old (age, ≥75 years).ResultsAppendicular muscle mass and knee extension strength decreased with age in both men and women. In men, knee extension strength showed significant positive correlations with leg and appendicular muscle mass in both young-old and old-old age groups. However, in women, only the old-old age group showed significant positive correlations between knee extension strength and leg and appendicular muscle mass. Muscle strength was significantly positively correlated with maximum walking speed in all groups, whereas muscle mass was not significantly correlated with maximum walking speed in men and women.ConclusionsMuscle strength was significantly correlated with muscle mass in both age groups in men. However, in women, the correlation between muscle strength and muscle mass differed according to age. This finding suggests that the relationship between muscle strength and muscle mass differs according to sex and age. Muscle strength showed significant correlation with walking speed in both men and women in both age groups. These findings suggest that it is necessary to recognize that muscle strength is different from muscle mass, and that an individualized approach to prevent decline of muscle strength and muscle mass is necessary for health promotion in elderly.

Sarcopenia, defined by muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance, was associated with functional decline over a 2-year period in elderly Japanese. Interventions to prevent sarcopenia are very important to prevent functional decline among elderly individuals.