Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Associations between objectively measured physical activity levels and physical fitness and health-related quality of life in elderly women

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sport Sciences for Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This article has been updated

Abstract

Purpose

Previous studies aimed at analyzing the associations between physical activity levels and physical fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) did not consider the differences between physical activity levels calculated as overall physical activity (MVPAall) or accumulated in bouts of at least 10 min (MVPA10).Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the different effects of MVPAall or MVPA10 and physical fitness on health-related quality of life in a population of young and older women.

Methods

Physical activity levels were objectively evaluated for 7 consecutive days. Physical fitness was determined with a handgrip strength test and a maximal treadmill test. HRQoL was measured with the Short Form 36 Health Status Survey.

Results

Although young women resulted more fit than older women [both cardiorespiratory and maximal strength resulted significantly higher in young adults with respect to older adults (p < 0.05)], no differences were detected for physical activity levels (neither MVPAall nor MVPA10) or HRQoL between groups. MVPAall was significantly higher than MVPA10 (p < 0.01). The Canonical correlation analysis revealed that there was a positive relationship between the level of cardiorespiratory fitness and the Physical Component Summary of HRQoL and that there was a negative relationship between vigorous physical activity and Social Functioning (p = 0.016). Otherwise, neither physical activity nor physical fitness influenced the Mental Component Summary.

Conclusions

These results will be useful for designing physical activity programs, aiming to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and that could also positively affect HRQoL.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 13 January 2023

    In this article the ORCiD for Christel Galvani was incorrect and should have been https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0126-6033.

Abbreviations

HR:

Heart rate

PA:

Physical activity

MVPAall :

Overall physical activity

MVPA10 :

Physical activity accumulated in bouts of at least 10 min

SED:

Time spent in sedentary physical activity

LPA:

Light physical activity

MPA:

Moderate physical activity

VPA:

Vigorous physical activity

SF-36v2:

Short Form 36 Health Status Survey

HRQoL:

Health-related quality of life

PF:

Physical Functioning

RP:

Role-Physical

BP:

Bodily Pain

GH:

General Health

VT:

Vitality

SF:

Social Functioning

RE:

Role-Emotional

MH:

Mental Health

PCS:

Physical Component Summary

MCS:

Mental Component Summary

\( \dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}} \) :

Maximal oxygen consumption expressed in absolute values

\( \dot{V} \)O2rel :

Maximal oxygen consumption relative to body mass

iMVC:

Isometric maximal voluntary contraction

iMVCBW :

iMVC related to body weight

BMI:

Body Mass Index

YA:

Young adults

OA:

Older adults

References

  1. Bowling A, Dieppe P (2005) What is successful ageing and who should define it? BMJ 331:1548–1551

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Pescatello LS, Arena R, Riebe D, Thompson PD (eds) (2014) ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 9th edn. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  3. McPhee JS, French DP, Jackson D, Nazroo J, Pendleton N, Degens H (2016) Physical activity in older age: perspectives for healthy ageing and frailty. Biogerontology 17:567–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-016-9641-0

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Warburton DE, Nicol CW, Bredin SS (2006) Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ 174:801–809

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Gusi N, Hernandez-Mocholi MA, Olivares PR (2015) Changes in HRQoL after 12 months of exercise linked to primary care are associated with fitness effects in older adults. Eur J Public Health 25:873–879. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckv079

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Sayer AA, Syddall HE, Martin HJ, Dennison EM, Roberts HC, Cooper C (2006) Is grip strength associated with health-related quality of life? Findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Age Ageing 35:409–415

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Anokye NK, Trueman P, Green C, Pavey TG, Taylor RS (2012) Physical activity and health related quality of life. BMC Public Health 7:12–624. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Halaweh H, Willen C, Grimby-Ekman A, Svantesson U (2015) Physical activity and health-related quality of life among community dwelling elderly. J Clin Med Res 7:845–852. https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2307w

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Bertheussen GF, Romundstad PR, Landmark T, Kaasa S, Dale O, Helbostad JL (2011) Associations between physical activity and physical and mental health—a HUNT 3 study. Med Sci Sports Exerc 43:1220–1228. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318206c66e

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Pruitt LA, Glynn NW, King AC et al (2008) Use of accelerometry to measure physical activity in older adults at risk for mobility disability. J Aging Phys Act 16:416–434

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Ciprandi D, Bertozzi F, Zago M et al (2017) Study of the association between gait variability and physical activity. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 15:14–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-017-0188-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Sörensen L, Honkalehto S, Kallinen M et al (2007) Are cardiorespiratory fitness and walking performance associated with self-reported quality of life and work ability? Int J Occup Med Environ Health 20:257–264

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sloan RA, Sawada SS, Martin CK, Church T, Blair SN (2009) Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and health-related quality of life. Health Qual Life Outcomes 28:7–47. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-7-47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Garber CE, Greaney ML, Riebe D, Nigg CR, Burbank PA, Clark PG (2010) Physical and mental health-related correlates of physical function in community dwelling older adults: a cross sectional study. BMC Geriatr 3:10–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-10-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Chung PK, Zhao Y, Liu JD, Quach B (2017) A canonical correlation analysis on the relationship between functional fitness and health-related quality of life in older adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 68:44–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2016.08.007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Olivares PR, Gusi N, Prieto J, Hernandez-Mocholi MA (2011) Fitness and health-related quality of life dimensions in community-dwelling middle aged and older adults. Health Qual Life Outcomes 22:9–117. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-9-117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Hörder H, Skoog I, Frändin K (2013) Health-related quality of life in relation to walking habits and fitness: a population-based study of 75-year-olds. Qual Life Res 22:1213–1223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0267-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Wanderley FA, Silva G, Marques E, Oliveira J, Mota J, Carvalho J (2011) Associations between objectively assessed physical activity levels and fitness and self-reported health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. Qual Life Res 20:1371–1378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-9875-x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Thompson WR, Gordon NF, Pescatello LS (eds) (2009) ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 8th edn. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  20. Davis MG, Fox KR (2007) Physical activity patterns assessed by accelerometry in older people. Eur J Appl Physiol 100:581–589

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Almeida CW, Castro CH, Pedreira PG, Heymann RE, Szejnfeld VL (2011) Percentage height of center of mass is associated with the risk of falls among elderly women: a case–control study. Gait Posture 34:208–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.04.013

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Ware JE Jr, Sherbourne CD (1992) The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care 30:473–483

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Schrack JA, Zipunnikov V, Goldsmith J, Bandeen-Roche K, Crainiceanu CM, Ferrucci L (2014) Estimating energy expenditure from heart rate in older adults: a case for calibration. PLoS One 9(4):e93520. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093520

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Brage S, Brage N, Franks PW et al (2004) Branched equation modeling of simultaneous accelerometry and heart rate monitoring improves estimate of directly measured physical activity energy expenditure. J Appl Physiol (1985) 96:343–351

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Nelson ME, Rejeski WJ, Blair SN et al (2007) Physical activity and public health in older adults: recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39:1435–1445

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Balke B, Ware RW (1959) An experimental study of physical fitness of Air Force personnel. US Armed Forces Med J 10:675–688

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR (2001) Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol 37:153–156

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Midgley AW, McNaughton LR, Polman R, Marchant D (2007) Criteria for determination of maximal oxygen uptake: a brief critique and recommendations for future research. Sports Med 37:1019–1028

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Huggett DL, Connelly DM, Overend TJ (2005) Maximal aerobic capacity testing of older adults: a critical review. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 60:57–66

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Alberti M, Galvani C, Capelli C, Lanza M, El Ghoch M, Calugi S, Dalle Grave R (2013) Physical fitness before and after weight restoration in anorexia nervosa. J Sports Med Phys Fit 53:396–402

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Cohen J (1992) A power primer. Psychol Bull 112:155–159

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Tabachnik BG, Fidell LS (2007) Using multivariate statistics, 5th edn. Pearson Education Inc., Boston

    Google Scholar 

  33. Cohen J (1988) Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences, 2nd edn. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale

    Google Scholar 

  34. Consensus Document from Dietitian/Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online (2013) Using Body Mass Index. Queensland Government

  35. Laudani L, Vannozzi G, Sawacha Z, della Croce U, Cereatti A, Macaluso A (2013) Association between physical activity levels and physiological factors underlying mobility in young, middle-aged and older individuals living in a city district. PLoS One 8:e74227

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Hurtig-Wennlöf A, Hagströmer M, Olsson LA (2010) The International Physical Activity Questionnaire modified for the elderly: aspects of validity and feasibility. Public Health Nutr 13:1847–1854. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980010000157

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. WHO (2010) Global recommendations on physical activity for health. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  38. Martin PE, Rothstein DE, Larish DD (1992) Effects of age and physical activity status on the speed-aerobic demand relationship of walking. J Appl Physiol (1985) 73:200–206

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Lee DC, Artero EG, Sui X, Blair SN (2010) Mortality trends in the general population: the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness. J Psychopharmacol 24:27–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359786810382057

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Paluska SA, Schwenk TL (2000) Physical activity and mental health: current concepts. Sports Med 29:167–180

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their thanks and appreciation to the subjects for their time and effort.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Movement Analysis Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 31, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Daniela Ciprandi, Matteo Zago & Chiarella Sforza

  2. Exercise and Sport Science Degree Course, Faculties of Education and Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Vle Suzzani 279, 20162, Milan, Italy

    Daniela Ciprandi & Filippo Bertozzi

  3. Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Matteo Zago

  4. Applied Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Vle Suzzani 279, 20162, Milan, Italy

    Christel Galvani

Authors
  1. Daniela Ciprandi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Filippo Bertozzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Matteo Zago
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Chiarella Sforza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Christel Galvani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christel Galvani.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

An ethical approval has been obtained from the local review board and all procedures were carried out in line with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ciprandi, D., Bertozzi, F., Zago, M. et al. Associations between objectively measured physical activity levels and physical fitness and health-related quality of life in elderly women. Sport Sci Health 14, 183–191 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-018-0428-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-018-0428-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation