Physical Fitness Related to Disability in Older Persons

Background: In today’s aging society, preventing or reducing disability is important. Physical activity may serve this goal. Generally, physical activity aims to enhance physical fitness, which in turn may prevent disability. The relationship between physical fitness and disability has been much less explored than the relationship between physical activity and physical fitness. Objective: To investigate the relationship between separate components of physical fitness and disability. Methods: The subjects were a community-based sample of 176 men and 233 women aged 65 years or older. Physical fitness was assessed with performance-based tests. Disability and potential confounders were assessed during face-to-face interviews. Results: Independently of other fitness components, walking endurance, grip strength, manual dexterity and balance contributed significantly to the prediction of disability for both men and women. Flexibility of the hip and spine, flexibility of the shoulder and reaction time were not independent predictors of disability for men or women. Physical fitness explained a greater percentage of variance in disability for women (31–48%) than for men (14–34%). Although depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning (men), number of chronic conditions (women) and age (women) explained additional variance in disability, these variables did not confound the relationship between physical fitness and disability. Conclusion: Walking endurance, grip strength and manual dexterity are important unique predictors of disability. Physical activity programs should be directed at these fitness components.