title: Role of physical activity, physical fitness, and chronic health conditions on the physical independence of community-dwelling older adults over a 5-year period.
abstract: The variability in the individual characteristics and habits could help determine how older adults maintain independence. The impact of the variability in physical activity, physical fitness, body composition, and chronic health conditions (co-morbidities) on the independence of older adults, especially over time, is seldom examined. This study aims to analyze quantitatively the impact of baseline values and changes in physical activity, physical fitness, body composition, and co-morbidities on the physical independence of community-dwelling, older adults over a 5-year period. Data from 106 and 85 community-dwelling adults (≥60 years) were collected at baseline and after five years, respectively. Linear regression selected the main predictors of changes in physical independence as follows: the baseline physical independence (β=0.032, R(2)=9.9%) and co-morbidities (β=-0.191, R(2)=6.3%) and the changes in co-morbidities (β=-0.244, R(2)=10.8%), agility (β=-0.288, R(2)=6.7%), aerobic endurance (β=0.007, R(2)=3.2%), and walking expenditure (β=0.001, R(2)=5.1%) (p<0.05). In conclusion, baseline physical independence, baseline co-morbidities, and changes in co-morbidities, walking, agility, and aerobic endurance predicted physical independence over five years regardless of age and gender. Gains of up to 8.3% in physical independence were associated with improvements in these variables, which corresponds to regaining independence for performing one or two activities of daily living.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora; Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Portugal. Electronic address: clnp@uevora.pt.
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Exercise and Health Laboratory, Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Human Performance, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: fbaptista@fmh.ulisboa.pt.
authors.forename: Fátima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora; Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Portugal. Electronic address: anacf@uevora.pt.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz-Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011174:Portugal; D016138:Walking
keywords: Aging; Body composition; Fitness; Metabolic expenditure; Physical functioning