Relationships among Physical Activity, Physical Function, and Food Intake in Older Japanese Adults Living in Urban Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Japan is experiencing a super-ageing society faster than anywhere else in the world. Consequently, extending healthy life expectancy is an urgent social issue. To realize a diet that can support the extension of healthy life expectancy, we studied the quantitative relationships among physical activities (number of steps and activity calculated using an accelerometer), physical functions (muscle strength, movement function, agility, static balance, dynamic balance, and walking function), and dietary intake among 469 older adults living in the Tokyo metropolitan area (65–75 years old; 303 women and 166 men) from 23 February 2017 to 31 March 2018. Physical activities and functions were instrumentally measured, and the dietary survey adopted the photographic record method. There was a significant positive association (p p < 0.05). Future intervention trials must verify if balancing diet and nutrition can improve physical activities in older adults through increased physical functions.

Keywords

• physical activity
• physical function
• food
• nutrition
• older Japanese adults