Association Between Health-Related Physical Fitness and Self-Reported Health Status in Older Taiwanese Adults

Abstract

Background This study aims to determine if an association exists between health-related physical fitness measurements and self-reported health status in older Taiwanese adults. Methods A total of 22,389 Taiwanese adults aged 65 years or older were recruited as study participants. Demographic characteristics, life habits, anthropometric assessments, health-related physical fitness measurements, and self-reported health status from this dataset were analyzed using the chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and logistic regression analysis. Results The results showed that there was significant association between back scratch and self-perceived health status (excellent/good) (odds ratio [OR], 1.003; 95 % CI 1.000-1.006) after adjusting potential confounders. However, adjusted potential confounders OR for self-perceived health status (poor/very poor) decreased and significant for chair sit-and-reach test (OR 0.994, 95% CI 0.988–0.999). Conclusions The results of this study indicate that there are associations between health-related physical fitness measurements and self-reported health status in Taiwanese older adults. Future research may investigate the causality between health status and physical fitness.