Age score for assessing motor function in Chinese older men

Background and objective: Motor performance plays an important role in daily activities for older adults. The purpose of the study was to construct a method for measuring physical fitness age that can be used to assess motor performance in elderly men and to verify its validity. Methods: Four items of physical fitness including grip strength, balancing on one leg with eyes open, 30 s chair stand test and 6 min walk test were selected and measured in a random order. Principal component analysis was employed to build physical fitness age based on motor performance variables from 94 elderly men with a mean age of 71.20 ± 5.05 years. Physical fitness age = 115.516-0.652 × grip strength - 0.142 × balancing on one leg with eyes open - 0.839 × 30 s chair stand - 0.061 × 6 min walk distance + 0.541 × chronological age. Results: Validation test from 13 men with exercise habit and 12 men without exercise habit showed that the physical fitness age in the exercised adults was significantly lower than its chronological age (63.91 ± 5.40 vs. 70.92 ± 4.17, P < 0.001), while no significant difference was observed between physical fitness age and chronological age in the elderly without exercise habits (71.23 ± 7.49 vs. 70.83 ± 5.19, P = 0.646). Conclusion: Physical fitness age is a valid indicator to evaluate and monitor motor performance. Participation in physical exercise may lower the physical fitness age by improving motor performance.

Aging; Physical fitness; Motor function; Exercise

[1] GBD 2017 Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 2018; 392: 1684-1735.

[2] Chang AY, Skirbekk VF, Tyrovolas S, Kassebaum NJ, Dieleman JL. Measuring population ageing: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet Public Health. 2019; 4: e159-e167.

[3] Chen L, Han WJ. Shanghai: front-runner of community-based eldercare in China. Journal of Aging & Social Policy. 2016; 28: 292-307.

[4] Strömmer JM, Davis SW, Henson RN, Tyler LK; Cam-CAN, Campbell KL. Physical activity predicts population-level age-related differences in frontal white matter. Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2020; 75: 236-243.

[5] Hasegawa J, Suzuki H, Yamauchi T. Effect of a lower limb strength training programme on physical activity during the snowy season among community-dwelling elderly individuals. Annals of Human Biology. 2019; 46: 323-329.

[6] Meier NF, Lee DC. Physical activity and sarcopenia in older adults. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. 2020; 32: 1675-1687.

[7] Brooks JM, Titus AJ, Bruce ML, Orzechowski NM, Mackenzie TA, Bartels SJ, et al. Depression and handgrip strength among U.S. adults aged 60 years and older from NHANES 2011-2014. Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging. 2018; 22: 938-943.

[8] Paproski JJ, Finello GC, Murillo A, Mandel E. The importance of protein intake and strength exercises for older adults. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. 2019; 32: 32-36.

[9] High CM, McHugh HF, Mills SC, Amano S, Freund JE, Vallabhajosula S. Vibrotactile feedback alters dynamics of static postural control in persons with Parkinson’s disease but not older adults at high fall risk. Gait Posture. 2018; 63: 202-207.

[10] Hsieh KL, Roach KL, Wajda DA, Sosnoff JJ. Smartphone technology can measure postural stability and discriminate fall risk in older adults. Gait Posture. 2019; 67: 160-165.

[11] Tahmosybayat R, Baker K, Godfrey A, Caplan N, Barry G. Movements of older adults during exergaming interventions that are associated with the systems framework for postural control: a systematic review. Maturitas. 2018; 111: 90-99.

[12] Paneroni M, Simonelli C, Laveneziana P, Gobbo M, Saleri M, Bianchi L, et al. The degree of arm elevation impacts the endurance and cardiopulmonary adaptations of COPD patients performing upper-limb exercise: a cross-over study. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2018; 54: 690-697.

[13] Urbain P, Strom L, Morawski L, Wehrle A, Deibert P, Bertz H. Impact of a 6-week non-energy-restricted ketogenic diet on physical fitness, body composition and biochemical parameters in healthy adults. Nutrition & Metabolism (London). 2017; 14: 17.

[14] Volpato S, Cavalieri M, Sioulis F, Guerra G, Maraldi C, Zuliani G, Predictive value of the short physical performance battery following hospitalization in older patients. The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2011; 66: 89-96.

[15] Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Development and validation of a functional fitness test for community-residing older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 1999; 7: 129-161.

[16] Aadland KN, Moe VF, Aadland E, Anderssen SA, Resaland GK, Ommundsen Y. Relationships between physical activity, sedentary time, aerobic fitness, motor skills and executive function and academic performance in children. Mental Health and Physical Activity. 2017; 12: 10-18.

[17] Nakamura E, Moritani T, Kanetaka A. Biological age versus physical fitness age. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology. 1989; 58: 778-785.

[18] Nakamura E, Moritani T, Kanetaka A. Further evaluation of physical fitness age versus physiological age in women. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology. 1998; 78: 195-200.

[19] Lee M, Matsuura Y, Tanaka K. Assessment of physical fitness age in middle-aged and elderly men. Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine 1993; 42: 59-68.

[20] Kimura M, Mizuta C, Yamada Y, Okayama Y, Nakamura E. Construct-ing an index of physical fitness age for Japanese elderly based on 7-year longitudinal data: sex differences in estimated physical fitness age. Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands). 2012; 34: 203-214.

[21] Latorre-Rojas EJ, Prat-Subirana JA, Peirau-Terés X, Mas-Alòs S, Beltrán-Garrido JV, Planas-Anzano A. Determination of functional fitness age in women aged 50 and older. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 2019; 8: 267-272.

[22] Nofuji Y, Shinkai S, Taniguchi Y, Amano H, Nishi M, Murayama H, et al. Associations of walking speed, grip strength, and standing balance with total and cause-specific mortality in a general population of Japanese elders. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2016; 17: 184. e1-184.e7.

[23] ATS Committee on Proficiency Standards for Clinical Pulmonary Function Laboratories. ATS statement: guidelines for the six-minute walk test. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2002; 166: 111-117.

[24] Okubo Y, Nemoto M, Osuka Y, Jung S, Seino S, Figueroa R, et al. Development of the nutrition and functionality assessment (NFA) among older adults in Japan. The Journal of Frailty & Aging. 2018; 7: 187-192.

[25] Dubina TL, Mints A, Zhuk EV. Biological age and its estimation. III. Introduction of a correction to the multiple regression model of biological age in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Experimental Gerontology. 1984; 19: 133-143.

[26] Hurria A, Blanchard MS, Synold TW, Mortimer J, Chung CT, Luu T, et al. Age-related changes in nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics: influence of chronological versus functional age. Oncologist. 2015; 20: 37-44.

[27] Nakagaichi M, Anan Y, Hikiji Y, Uratani S. Developing an assessment based on physical fitness age to evaluate motor function in frail and healthy elderly women. Clinical Interventions in Aging. 2018; 13: 179-184.

[28] Repetto L, Fratino L, Audisio RA, Venturino A, Gianni W, Vercelli M, et al. Comprehensive geriatric assessment adds information to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status in elderly cancer patients: an Italian Group for Geriatric Oncology Study. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2002; 20: 494-502.

[29] Åhlund K, Ekerstad N, Öberg B, Bäck M. Physical performance impairments and limitations among hospitalized frail older adults. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. 2018; 41: 230-235.

[30] Muir-Hunter SW, Clark J, McLean S, Pedlow S, Van Hemmen A, Montero Odasso M, et al. Identifying balance and fall risk in community-dwelling older women: the effect of executive function on postural control. Physiotherapy Canada. 2014; 66: 179-186.