title: Poor physical fitness is independently associated with mild cognitive impairment in elderly Koreans.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between physical fitness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly Koreans. This was a cross-sectional study that involved 134 men and 299 women aged 65 to 88 years. Six senior fitness tests were used as independent variables: 30 s chair stand for lower body strength, arm curl for upper body strength, chair-sit-and-reach for lower body flexibility, back scratch for upper body flexibility, 8-ft up-and-go for agility/dynamic balance, and 2-min walk for aerobic endurance. Global cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Potential covariates such as age, education levels, blood lipids, and insulin resistance (IR) markers were also assessed. Compared to individuals without MMSE-based MCI, individuals with MMSE-based MCI had poor physical fitness based on the senior fitness test (SFT). There were significant positive trends observed for education level (p=0.001) and MMSE score (p<0.001) across incremental levels of physical fitness in this study population. Individuals with moderate (OR=0.341, p=0.006) and high (OR=0.271, p=0.007) physical fitness based on a composite score of the SFT measures were less likely to have MMSE-based MCI than individuals with low physical fitness (referent, OR=1). The strength of the association between moderate (OR=0.377, p=0.038) or high (OR=0.282, p=0.050) physical fitness and MMSE-based MCI was somewhat attenuated but remained statistically significant even after adjustment for the measured compounding factors. We found that poor physical fitness was independently associated with MMSE-based MCI in elderly Koreans.
authors.affiliation: The Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: College of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: College of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: College of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kang
keywords: aging; cognitive function; physical activity; physical fitness; risk factors