Is lifestyle change around retirement associated with better physical performance in older age?: insights from a longitudinal cohort

Abstract

A growing evidence base links individual lifestyle factors to physical performance in older age, but much less is known about their combined effects, or the impact of lifestyle change. In a group of 937 participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, we examined their number of lifestyle risk factors at 53 and 60–64 years in relation to their physical performance at 60–64, and the change in number of risk factors between these ages in relation to change in physical performance. At both assessments, information about lifestyle (physical activity, smoking, diet) was obtained via self-reports and height and weight were measured. Each participant’s number of lifestyle risk factors out of: obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2); inactivity (no leisure time physical activity over previous month); current smoking; poor diet (diet quality score in bottom quarter of distribution) was determined at both ages. Physical performance: measured grip strength, chair rise and standing balance times at both ages and conditional change (independent of baseline) in physical performance outcomes from 53 to 60–64 were assessed. There were some changes in the pattern of lifestyle risk factors between assessments: 227 (24%) participants had fewer risk factors by age 60–64; 249 (27%) had more. Reductions in risk factors were associated with better physical performance at 60–64 and smaller declines over time (all p < 0.05); these associations were robust to adjustment. Strategies to support reduction in number of lifestyle risk factors around typical retirement age may have beneficial effects on physical performance in early older age.

Nutrition and Exercise Interventions to Improve Body Composition for Persons with Overweight or Obesity Near Retirement Age: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…People that changed their lifestyle by reducing risk factors for obesity, such as poor diet or inactivity, showed smaller physical declines over time in later life. This finding underlines the great potential for implementing healthy nutrition and exercise habits and thus increasing the disability-free life expectancy in the retirement phase [ 21 ].…”

“…In most cases, this change is not gradual, but occurs abruptly one day when a person no longer needs to go to work and needs to start redesigning their everyday life [ 12 ]. A recent longitudinal study showed that 61% of people in this age group changed their lifestyle during the retirement phase [ 21 ]. People that changed their lifestyle by reducing risk factors for obesity, such as poor diet or inactivity, showed smaller physical declines over time in later life.…”