Lifestyles of local residents: Development of standard values for the Frenchay Activities Index for local residents aged 10–79 years

Abstract

Objectives: We developed standard values for the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) for volunteers aged 10–79 years, and evaluated the lifestyles of healthy local residents by age group. Subjects: Participants were 788 local residents (326 males, 462 females) who participated in regional events held near Nagoya City and agreed to cooperate with this survey. Methods: We set up a survey venue during a regional event. The FAI questionnaire was administered to consenting participants by two qualified occupational therapists and five volunteer staff who were briefed regarding the FAI. Results: Comparisons of total FAI scores by sex for each age group showed that for participants aged 30–79 years, women’s scores were significantly higher than men’s. There were no sex-based differences among participants in their teens and 20s. Conclusions: Participants in their teens and 20s rarely engage in domestic activities, and focus on studying or academic activities. The findings also suggested that by age 30 years, men mainly focus on work and engage less in housekeeping activities. Women appear to focus on both housework and their occupations by age 30 years. The FAI reflects changes in Japanese participants’ lifestyles by age, and these scores appeared to be effective for evaluating activities parallel to daily living, regardless of age.

Keywords

• frenchay activities index
• apdl
• standard values