Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in the elderly in Korea. Increased arterial stiffness is linked to risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness and physical activity in the elderly.Methods: A total of 209 older adults (110 men and 99 women) participated in this study. Arterial stiffness of subjects such as brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) was measured using a non-invasive vascular screening device (VP-1000 Plus, Omron, Kyoto, Japan). The interviewed Korean version of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF) was used to evaluate subject's physical activity level and classify subjects as active or inactive group based on the time spent doing moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).Results: The mean age of total subjects was 75.3 ± 5.6 years. There was no significant difference in sex distribution between the active group (39.7%) and inactive group (60.3%). The baPWV (1,758.1 ± 375.2 cm/sec) of the active group was significantly lower than that (1,969.7 ± 372.3 cm/sec) of the inactive group (P < 0.05). There was a significant inverse association between time spent in MVPA and baPWV (r = -0.245, P < 0.01).Conclusions: This study suggests that physical activity programs for older adults are needed to prevent arteriosclerosis.

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