Assessment of physical health status for successful aging in elderly

2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 12480005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 体育学
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Kiyoji Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, Associate Professor, 体育科学系, 助教授 (50163514)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SONE Hirohito Institute of Clinical Medicine, Lecturer, 臨床医学系, 講師 (30312846) ; KIM Hunkyung Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Department of Epidemiology, Research Worker, 疫学部門, 主任研究員 (20282345) ; NAKAMURA Eitaro Kyoto University, Department of Life Sciences, Professor, 総合人間学部, 教授 (00026808) ; NAKADOMO Fumio Osaka Prefecture College of Nursing, Department of Nursing, Professor, 看護学部, 教授 (50079125) ; TAKESHIMA Nobuo Nagoya City University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Associate Professor, 自然科学教育センター, 助教授 (00137126)
• Project Period (FY): 2000 – 2002
• Keywords: elderly / successful aging / biological evaluation / vitality / senescence / exercise / life style / health status

Research Abstract

The first purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a habitual exercise prevents functional decline in accordance with aging. For this examination, we used our current vital age (VA) equation as an indicator of the health and fitness. The subjects were 16 women and 10 men who had participated in our exercise program of two times a week for 10 years. Although the VA prior to the exercise program was significantly higher than the chronological age (CA) in women and men, the VA significantly lowered after 3-month and 1-year exercise. As a result, the VA became younger than the CA in women and men. For the following 9 years, the VA in women had increased by only 7.6 yr (8.6 yr in men). These results support the hypothesis of our first study.
The second purpose of this study was to develop a new VA equation, which can be applicable to older adults. In the present study, correlation analysis and principal component analysis were applied to the data for 56 biomedical variables. The subjects were 134 women and 91 men. The following 12 variables in women and 10 variables in men were found suitable for the new assessment of VA.
(For women)
New VS = 0.021X_1 + 0.010.X_2 - 0.044X_3 - 0.008X_4 + 0.004X_5 + 0.004X_6 + 0.003X_7 + 0.043X_8 - 0.039X_9 - 0.011X_<10> - 0.419X_<11> - 0.007X_<12> + 9.64
New VA = 8.98new VS + 0.295CA + 40.75
(For men)
New VS = 0.011X_2 - 0.044X_3 - 0.013X_4 - 0.005X_5 + 0.004X_7 - 0.032X_9 - 0.012X_<10> - 0.400X_<11> - 0.007X_<12> + 0.023X_<13> + 14.28
New VA = - 8.58new VS + 0.367CA + 40.00VA = 8.98 VS - 0.295age - 40.75,
VS = 0.021X1+0.010X2-0.044X3-0.008X4+0.004X5+0.004X6+0.003X7+0.043X8-0.039X9-0.011X10-0.0419X11-0.007X12+9.64
where X_1 = abdominal girth, X_2 = systolic blood pressure, X_3 = oxygen uptake at lactate threshold, X_4 = heart rate at lactate threshold, X_5 = cholesterol, X_6 = LDLC, X_7 = TG, X_8 = Hct, X_9 = side stepping, X_<10> = single leg balance with eyes closed, X_<11> = FEV_<1.0>, X_<12> = calcaneal speed of sound, X_<13> = subscapular skinfold.