Is Subjective Age Associated with Physical Fitness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults?

Abstract

Although subjective age has been associated with a range of health-related outcomes, there has been little systematic study on the relationship between the subjective age and physical fitness in a given population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prospective association between subjective age and physical fitness in community-dwelling older adults. A sample of 276 older people who lived in the community was studied. Subjective age was measured by a face-to-face interview. Grip strength, balancing on one leg with eyes open, the 30 s chair stand test, 4 m habitual walk, and 6 min walk test were measured to reflect physical fitness. Results indicated that the felt younger older adults had a higher level of physical fitness compared to their felt older and felt the same counterparts. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that all the measured physical fitness items were significantly associated with subjective age in older men. All of the measured physical fitness items except for the 4 m habitual walk were remarkably related to subjective age in older women. The findings suggest that subjective age is closely associated with physical fitness in community-dwelling older adults. Much attention should be paid to the promotion of physical fitness to improve the subjective age of older adults.