Reference Values and Age and Sex Differences in Physical Performance Measures for Community-Dwelling Older Japanese: A Pooled Analysis of Six Cohort Studies

Abstract

ObjectivesTo determine age- and sex-specific reference values for six physical performance measures, i.e. hand-grip strength, one-legged stance, and gait speed and step length at both usual and maximum paces, and to investigate age and sex differences in these measures among community-dwelling older Japanese adults.MethodsWe conducted a pooled analysis of data from six cohort studies collected between 2002 and 2011 as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology-Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Study on Aging. The pooled analysis included cross-sectional data from 4683 nondisabled, community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older (2168 men, 2515 women; mean age: 74.0 years in men and 73.9 years in women).ResultsUnweighted simple mean (standard deviation) hand-grip strength, one-legged stance, usual gait speed, usual gait step length, maximum gait speed, and maximum gait step length were 31.7 (6.7) kg, 39.3 (23.0) s, 1.29 (0.25) m/s, 67.7 (10.0) cm, 1.94 (0.38) m/s, and 82.3 (11.6) cm, respectively, in men and 20.4 (5.0) kg, 36.8 (23.4) s, 1.25 (0.27) m/s, 60.8 (10.0) cm, 1.73 (0.36) m/s, and 69.7 (10.8) cm, respectively, in women. All physical performance measures showed significant decreasing trends with advancing age in both sexes (all P<0.001 for trend). We also constructed age- and sex-specific appraisal standards according to quintiles. With increasing age, the sex difference in hand-grip strength decreased significantly (P<0.001 for age and sex interaction). In contrast, sex differences significantly increased in all other measures (all P<0.05 for interactions) except step length at maximum pace.ConclusionOur pooled analysis yielded inclusive age- and sex-specific reference values and appraisal standards for major physical performance measures in nondisabled, community-dwelling, older Japanese adults. The characteristics of age-related decline in physical performance measures differed between sexes.

Functional reserve in functionally independent elderly persons: a calculation of gait speed and physiological cost

“…8,[22][23][24][25] The values obtained in the present study are inconsistent with previous findings, which report both inferoir 8,22,23 and superior results. 24,25 This situation can be explained by the expression of confounding factors, which are based on the demographic and anthropometric aspects specific to each sample, which emerge from the use of diverse populations, such as Caucasian, 8 and Latin American.…”

“…Meanwhile, previous studies have reported significantly higher maximum speed conditions than the values reported in this experiment. 8,22,23 In this context, the specific characteristics of the track and the timing used allow the EP to effectively achieve a steady gait conditions. 10,27,28 The evaluation of FR through analysis of gait speed is notable for a lack of information.…”

Regional Differences in Fall-Related Physical Fitness of the Elderly between Seoul, Korea and Gifu, Japan

“…The OLS with eyes open test was assessed using participant's preferred leg (Seino et al 2014). Participants were asked to place their hands at their waists while staring at a mark on the wall, raise one leg and stand for as long as possible.…”

“…Participants stood with their arms hanging naturally at their sides holding the dynamometer with the grip size adjusted to a comfortable level (Seino et al 2014). They were instructed and verbally encouraged to squeeze the handgrip as hard as possible.…”

Clinically relevant weakness in diverse populations of older adults participating in the International Mobility in Aging Study

“…Recently, several HGS cut points have been proposed to identify clinically relevant weakness (Zalewski et al 2009;Cruz-Jentoft et al 2010;Sallinen et al 2010;Hicks et al 2012;Seino et al 2014;Alley et al 2014). The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Sarcopenia Project working group published cut points of handgrip weakness associated with slowness in walking ).…”