These findings imply that the modified VSAQ is useful in evaluating the exercise capacity of Japanese elderly adequately and is a practical scale for safe exercise.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine whether a questionnaire-based method using the Veterans Specific Activity Questionnaire (VSAQ) is a practical tool for the development of a safe exercise program to prevent a reduction in physical performance.Methods: One hundred and twenty-one senior residents of Yakage, Okayama, agreed to voluntarily participate in this study. They were asked to complete a questionnaire for information on age, sex, subjective health status, exercise habits and VSAQ. We investigated the relationship between age and exercise capacity predicted by VSAQ (predicted metabolic equivalents (METs)). In addition, for 36 out of the 121 participants, we performed a 6-min walk distance test (6MD) and investigated whether its results correlate with the predicted METs. Furthermore, we prepared a modified VSAQ and examined its practicality in the evaluation of the exercise capacity of Japanese elderly (n=50).Results: We found that the predicted METs correlate well with age. Habitual exercise and subjective health status did not affect the predicted METs. A significant correlation was observed between the predicted METs and the results of 6MD (r=0.56, p<0.001). We also found that certain activities included in the original VSAQ are unfamiliar to Japanese elderly; thus, we made a few modifications to the original VSAQ in order to evaluate the physical fitness of Japanese elderly. The number of inadequate answers was reduced by employing the modified VSAQ.Conclusion: These findings imply that the modified VSAQ is useful in evaluating the exercise capacity of Japanese elderly adequately and is a practical scale for safe exercise.

Recently, resistance training-based exercise programs for the elderly have been widely performed as preventive approaches for long-term care in Japan. Here, we evaluated two health programs in order to find factors that would contribute to the enhancement of exercise habituation in exercise intervention for disability prevention in community-dwelling Japanese elderly. Fifty-two elderly people were instructed to stretch every part of the body and to perform low-intensity resistance training for the lower extremities as basic exercises in two classes. The participants in Class A were instructed once a week for the first four weeks and those in Class B every two weeks for 3 months. At the baseline, and 3 months later, physical performance and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated using a questionnaire survey including information on age, sex, subjective health status, habitual exercise and Self Motivation Test. We examined the factors contributing to exercise habituation by multivariate logistic analysis. There were no significant differences in the results of the questionnaire survey except for mean age between the participants in Class A and Class B. By means of these interventions, the results of Timed Up and Go and the ratio of individuals who regu-