Decline of Functional Fitness in Free Living Japanese Older Adults

Purpose: Functional fitness declines with advancing age even in healthy adults. Considering the importance of functional fitness in old age, as well as the magnitude of the rapidly growing older population in Japan, the aim of this study was to compare the functional fitness in apparently healthy Japanese older adults of different ages, also with that of people of young age when fitness variables are reported to be at their peak level.  Methods: Five hundred seventy-seven participants (396 older adults, 71 ± 6 yr, and 181 younger adult, 19 ± 2 yr) volunteered to participate in this cross sectional study. Older adults were selected by public posting from a metropolitan city, and younger adults were students of a university. Arm curls, chair stands, up and go, back scratch, sit and reach, and 12-min walk tests were performed to evaluate functional fitness. Results: Among older participants, lower body muscular endurance, lower and upper body flexibility and agility in both men and women were significantly higher in 6 th decade compared to 7 th or 8 th decade. No significant difference in men and women was noted in 12-min walk distance performance between 6 th and 7 th decade indicating that aerobic capacity declined slowly in these people until advanced age. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that aerobic capacity is well preserved until advanced age in many Japanese people. However, to prevent or control age-associated decline in muscular endurance, agility, and flexibility, these people should perform physical activities that incorporate aerobic, resistance, and flexibility exercises.