Associations of low-intensity light physical activity with physical performance in community-dwelling elderly Japanese: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity and physical performance relate to quality of life, mortality, and morbidity in elderly people. However, little is known about differences in physical performance related to low-intensity light physical activity (LLPA), high-intensity light physical activity (HLPA), and moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) and how they are separated by sex in elderly populations.AimsThis study aimed to determine differences in LLPA, HLPA, MPA, and physical performance, and associations between these measures in community-dwelling elderly men and women.MethodsPhysical activity and physical performance such as timed-up-and-go test, one-leg standing time, and maximum gait speed were measured in 181 community-dwelling elderly men (mean age, 75.1 ± 5.3 years) and 109 women (mean age, 73.4 ± 4.8 years) in 2013. Physical activity was classified as LLPA (1.6~1.9 METs of physical activity), HLPA (2.0~2.9 METs of physical activity), and MPA (over 3 METs of physical activity). The association between the values of these three intensities of physical activity in the participants was assessed by Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the association of physical performance values with the three groups defined by accelerometer-measured physical activity intensity adjusted for sociographic, behavioral, and multiple diseases in the participants.ResultsMPA was beneficially associated with all physical performance indicators in the men (all P<0.05) and women (all P<0.05). Only HLPA showed significant associations with the timed-up-and-go test (P = 0.001) and maximum gait speed (P = 0.006) in women.DiscussionThese results may support the notion that not only HLPA in women but MPA in both sexes appears to improve physical performance in elderly populations.ConclusionThe present study findings provide novel epidemiological evidence for the potential benefits of HLPA in women and also reinforce the potential benefits of MPA in both sexes, which is the mainstay of public health recommendations.

Associations of physical activity in detailed intensity ranges with body composition and physical function. a cross-sectional study among sedentary older adults

“…Our finding that physical activity of any intensity was beneficially associated with walking speed over both long and short distance is remarkable, since performance in walking tests predicts disability, mobility limitation and deaths [35]. The association of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity with walking speed was expected and in line with previous cross-sectional studies (10)(11)(12)(13). In contrast, light-intensity activity has been beneficially Fig.…”

“…Correlations are adjusted by sex and age associated with walking speed in some [10], but not all [9,11] studies. One study found a significant association only in women [13]. In the present study, the associations of time spent in light activity with 6-min walk and 10-m walk were statistically significant even after adjusting for time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity suggesting that light-intensity activity has an independent positive association with walking speed.…”

“…Preliminary evidence from a cross-sectional study indicates that habitual accelerometer-based light-intensity activity may be beneficially associated also with physical function among older adults [10], but the data are still few and inconsistent. Other recent studies have shown no association between light physical activity and physical function [9,11], or the association has not been significant throughout the spectrum of light-intensity activity or in both sexes [13]. Even though physical activity is known to maintain healthy weight, muscle strength and physical functioning in older age [3,4], the associations of particular physical activity intensities with physical function and body composition remain unclear among older adults.…”

“…Participation in regular exercising maintains physical function [8]. Recent cross-sectional studies have consistently shown a positive association between habitual accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity and better performance in physical function tests including endurance, strength and agility [9][10][11][12][13][14]. Higher levels of overall accelerometer-based physical activity and moderate-tovigorous-intensity activity in particular may also help to maintain muscle mass in old age [15], but this is not supported by all studies [14].…”

Effects of Capsinoids on Daily Physical Activity, Body Composition and Cold Hypersensitivity in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Randomized Study

“…Meanwhile, the value of the contribution of light physical activity to health has become recognized in recent years [32,38]. As a result of a several studies conducted by categorizing low-intensity physical activity of less than 3.0 METs into either low-intensity light physical activity (LLPA) of 1.6 METs or more and less than 2.0 METs, or high-intensity light physical activity (HLPA) of 2.0 METs or more and less than 3.0 METs, HLPA has been reported to improve insulin resistance, activity as mild as walking has been reported to have led to reduced severity of stroke events, and these activities have been partially correlated with physical functions in elderly Japanese women [38][39][40]. Furthermore, a study by Buman et al [41] demonstrated that HLPA contributes to health to the same degree as moderate physical activity and also contributes greatly to subjective life satisfaction.…”