title: Three-Year Changes in Physical Activity and Decline in Physical Performance Over 9 Years of Follow-Up in Older Adults: The Invecchiare in Chianti Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the associations between cumulative physical activity (PA) and its changes over 3 years and changes over 9 years of follow-up in physical performance in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based.
  
  
  METHODS
  Men and women aged 65 and older from the Invecchiare in Chianti study (N = 782).
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical performance was assessed at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 9-year follow-up using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). PA was assessed through an interviewer-administered questionnaire at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Analyses were adjusted for education, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, cancer, lung disease, lower extremity osteoarthritis, depression, and Mini-Mental State Examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 3 years of follow-up, 27.8% of participants were inactive, 52.2% were minimally active, and 20.0% were active, and the PA of 37.2% decreased, there was no change in PA of 50.1% and the PA of 12.7% increased. After adjustment for potential covariates, being mostly active (-1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -1.43 to -0.73) and minimally active (-1.33, 95% CI = -1.53 to -1.12) over 3 years of follow-up was associated with less decline in SPPB score than being mostly inactive (-2.60, 95% CI = -2.92 to -2.27). When analyzing changes, increasing PA (-0.57, 95% CI = -1.01 to -0.12) was associated with less decline in SPPB score over 9 years than decreasing PA (-2.16, 95% CI = -2.42 to -1.89).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maintaining or increasing PA levels may attenuate age-associated physical performance decline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martinez-Gomez
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Local Health Tuscany Center, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bandinelli
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Local Health Tuscany Center, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Vieri
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Del-Panta
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Kushang V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jack M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Guralnik
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007558:Italy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking
keywords: aging; physical activity; physical performance