Changes in physical performance among high-functioning older adults: a 6-year follow-up study

Abstract

Purposes of the study were (1) to investigate changes in physical performance during 6 years followup among high-functioning older adults and (2) to describe the selection of study sample with reference to measured performance. Subjects (n=1,133) born during 1917-1941 participated in the battery of health-related fitness (HRF) tests (6.1-m walk, stair climbing, backwards walk, trunk side-bending, dynamic back extension, 1-km walk and body mass index) in 1996. Six hundred and six subjects were retested in 2002. In general, poorer fitness in the baseline assessment predicted non-participation in retesting as well as test exclusions and interruptions in retesting. The 6-year changes in the HRF showed a linear trend (P<0.01) according to age group: performance of older groups deteriorated on average more than the performance of younger groups. In most of the tests, gender was statistically significantly (P<0.05) associated with the changes in performance. The mean performance of the women deteriorated in all tests during the follow-up, while the mean performance of the men deteriorated only in the trunk side-bending, 6.1-m walk and 1-km walk tests. It can be concluded that among the subjects who participated in the followup testing, older age and being a woman increased deterioration in several components of HRF. Considering the selection of the subjects, the deteriorations identified are very likely underestimations of real fitness changes among this sample.

Does Physical Activity Affect the Predictive Value of Health-Related Fitness Tests on Walking Difficulty?

“…Assessment of HRF, in 1996, was conducted by selected test items of validated HRF tests targeted at high-functioning older adults. 17,21,22,29 The original test battery includes measurements of all main components of HRF. 25 The time requirement for one person to complete all tests is relatively high, taking about 60 minutes.…”

“…During the six years follow-up time 135 (20%) subjects were lost to follow-up because they could not be contacted (n=62), refused to respond to the follow-up questionnaire (n=67), or had severe health restrictions (n=6) 22 . Our previous study 17 showed that poorer baseline (1996) performance in HRF tests increased the risk for non-response at follow-up (2002). The analyses of the present study included 537 subjects who responded to the questionnaire in…”

“…e.g. 16,17 In follow-up studies low fitness has been reported to be associated with poor mobility 18 and physical functioning. 3 Recent reviews and consensus statements reported that low fitness is associated with poor health outcomes 19,20 and mortality, 7 even with steeper gradient than PA. Our recent studies indicated that health-related fitness (HRF) tests predict self-reported mobility difficulties among older adults.…”

Predictive Validity of Health-Related Fitness Tests on Back Pain and Related Disability: A 6-Year Follow-Up Study Among High-Functioning Older Adults

“…Our former study among the current study population showed that side-bending flexibility decreased during 6 years of follow-up, especially in the older age groups. 18 Thus, among older adults reduced lateral flexibility may be an important risk factor for BP, even though the findings on younger adults are mainly negative.…”

“…Assessment of HRF was conducted by the proposed battery of HRF tests targeted at high-functioning older adults. 14,15,[17][18][19] The battery includes measurements of all main components of HRF, which provides applicability in physical activity counseling. The individual test results can be used in targeting physical exercise at those components of HRF that need to be improved for maintaining and improving mobility and back function.…”