Subjects who had maintained a certain level of cognitive function, engaged in activities with friends, and went out frequently at baseline were extracted. In other words, the results suggested that enhancement of social networks and leisure activities prompted by recreational centre participation had a positive effect on maintaining cognitive function. The results also suggest that to improve the effectiveness of preventive interventions for cognitive dysfunction, support for social factors and leisure activities, in addition to cognitive function, may improve the long-term effectiveness of maintaining cognitive function.

Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate whether the coexistence of locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia is associated with the risk of fall or performance of activities of daily living in elderly females.[Participants and Methods] We categorized 112 Japanese elderly female participants under three groups: control, locomotive syndrome, and locomotive syndrome and co-existing sarcopenia. We compared the groups based on the mean scores of anthropometric and physical function measurements, the Timed Up and Go test, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence to evaluate activities of daily living.[Results] The Timed Up and Go test score significantly differed among the groups. The score of the Timed Up and Go test significantly correlated with scores of the skeletal muscle mass index, skeletal muscle strength grading, and usual gait speed. The total score of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence significantly decreased in all the groups.[Conclusion] The coexistence of locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia is associated with an increased risk of fall and worsened performance of activities of daily living. Further, the risk of fall is associated with the skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle strength, and gait speed. It seems likely that, compared to sarcopenia, locomotive syndrome is more sensitive to lower limb dysfunctions.

Background Older adults are known to have more pronated foot posture and decreased toe flexor strength (TFS), as well as decreased mobility in daily life compared to young adults. Although foot posture is reported to be an influential factor for walking biomechanics in young adults, there is less information on this subject in older adults. Age-related reduction in TFS is shown to be associated with impairments of functional performance, but it is poorly understood whether foot posture influences the relationships between TFS and functional performances. Therefore, the present study aimed to elucidate this concern by examining older women. Methods Seventy community-dwelling older women (76.8 ± 4.4 years) voluntarily participated in this study. Foot posture was evaluated by the 6-item foot posture index (FPI). Based on the FPI score, participants were allocated to pronated, neutral, or supinated group (n = 33, 26, and 11, respectively). TFS was assessed using a toe grip dynamometer in a seated position. Scores of 30-s chair stand, timed up-and-go, 5-m comfortable-speed walking, and static balance tests were determined to evaluate functional performances. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed to examine the relationships between TFS and functional performances in each group. Results TFS positively correlated with comfortable walking speed in the pronated (r = 0.37, p = 0.03) and supinated (r = 0.76, p < 0.001) groups, but not in the neutral group (r = 0.17, p = 0.42). For the two significant relationships, an analysis of covariance showed that there was no significant difference between the pronated and supinated groups in the slopes of the regression lines, suggesting a similar relative contribution of TFS to comfortable walking speed between the two groups. In addition, TFS tended to negatively correlate with timed up-and-go time in the pronated (r = − 0.32, p = 0.07) and supinated (r = − 0.56, p = 0.08) groups, and positively correlate with 30-s chair stand score in the pronated group (r = 0.31, p = 0.08). Conclusions The present study indicates that TFS would be associated with mobility, walking performance in particular, in older women with pronated and supinated feet but not with neutral feet.