Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Background: Physical activity (PA) and functional fitness (FF) are crucial for promoting independent living and healthy aging in older adults. However, there is a lack of normative values for the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) among older adults (aged 55–90) living in southern rural Taiwan, particularly...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/213 |
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| author | Chun-Wei Wang Jia-Ling Yeh Shuk-Fong Li Chun-Ming Chen Hsiu-Hua Wang Cheng-Shiun He Hsin-Tzu Lin |
| author_facet | Chun-Wei Wang Jia-Ling Yeh Shuk-Fong Li Chun-Ming Chen Hsiu-Hua Wang Cheng-Shiun He Hsin-Tzu Lin |
| author_sort | Chun-Wei Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Physical activity (PA) and functional fitness (FF) are crucial for promoting independent living and healthy aging in older adults. However, there is a lack of normative values for the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) among older adults (aged 55–90) living in southern rural Taiwan, particularly in the Chiayi region, which has been relatively underserved in terms of health-related resources compared to northern Taiwan. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the age- and gender-specific normative fitness scores for a large representative population of community-dwelling older adults in southern rural Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to obtain normative FF scores for 3332 community-dwelling elderly people (1057 men and 2275 women) in Chiayi, through the implementation of functional fitness tests across 72 Chiayi communities. The developed normative data served as a reference for exercise prescription for the elderly in southern Taiwan. Results: The study showed that the average normative values of all functional fitness tests declined significantly with increasing age (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Sex differences were also found in all measures of FF tests, with elderly women scoring significantly better than men on flexibility (scratch back: −1.34 ± 9.03 vs. −6.54 ± 11.07; chair sit and reach: 6.56 ± 9.44 vs. 0.56 ± 10.40) (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while men scored significantly higher than women on strength (grip strength: 30.83 ± 8.06 vs. 21.82 ± 5.32; bicep curl: 19.25 ± 5.44 vs. 17.64 ± 4.98) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, four FF normative scores in southern rural Taiwan were found to be significantly higher than their counterparts living in northern Taiwan. Conclusion: These findings contribute positively to the evaluation of fitness levels among older adults in southern rural Taiwan and provide a concrete reference for developing sound PA programs for this population. The results suggest that strategies aimed at promoting increased participation in PA among older adults need to consider age-, sex-, and region-specific factors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:51:27Z |
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| id | doaj.art-772255823abd41f5ab4d2462349f8838 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:51:27Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-772255823abd41f5ab4d2462349f88382024-01-26T16:46:51ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322024-01-0112221310.3390/healthcare12020213Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional StudyChun-Wei Wang0Jia-Ling Yeh1Shuk-Fong Li2Chun-Ming Chen3Hsiu-Hua Wang4Cheng-Shiun He5Hsin-Tzu Lin6Department of Sport Performance, National Taiwan University of Sport, Taichung 404401, TaiwanDepartment of Adult and Continuing Education, National Chung Cheng University, Minxiong 621301, TaiwanDepartment of Athletics Sports, National Chung Cheng University, Minxiong 621301, TaiwanDepartment of Athletics Sports, National Chung Cheng University, Minxiong 621301, TaiwanDepartment of Athletics Sports, National Chung Cheng University, Minxiong 621301, TaiwanDepartment of Athletics Sports, National Chung Cheng University, Minxiong 621301, TaiwanDepartment of Adult and Continuing Education, National Chung Cheng University, Minxiong 621301, TaiwanBackground: Physical activity (PA) and functional fitness (FF) are crucial for promoting independent living and healthy aging in older adults. However, there is a lack of normative values for the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) among older adults (aged 55–90) living in southern rural Taiwan, particularly in the Chiayi region, which has been relatively underserved in terms of health-related resources compared to northern Taiwan. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the age- and gender-specific normative fitness scores for a large representative population of community-dwelling older adults in southern rural Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to obtain normative FF scores for 3332 community-dwelling elderly people (1057 men and 2275 women) in Chiayi, through the implementation of functional fitness tests across 72 Chiayi communities. The developed normative data served as a reference for exercise prescription for the elderly in southern Taiwan. Results: The study showed that the average normative values of all functional fitness tests declined significantly with increasing age (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Sex differences were also found in all measures of FF tests, with elderly women scoring significantly better than men on flexibility (scratch back: −1.34 ± 9.03 vs. −6.54 ± 11.07; chair sit and reach: 6.56 ± 9.44 vs. 0.56 ± 10.40) (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while men scored significantly higher than women on strength (grip strength: 30.83 ± 8.06 vs. 21.82 ± 5.32; bicep curl: 19.25 ± 5.44 vs. 17.64 ± 4.98) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, four FF normative scores in southern rural Taiwan were found to be significantly higher than their counterparts living in northern Taiwan. Conclusion: These findings contribute positively to the evaluation of fitness levels among older adults in southern rural Taiwan and provide a concrete reference for developing sound PA programs for this population. The results suggest that strategies aimed at promoting increased participation in PA among older adults need to consider age-, sex-, and region-specific factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/213normsfunctional fitnesselderlyregionTaiwanphysical activity |
| spellingShingle | Chun-Wei Wang Jia-Ling Yeh Shuk-Fong Li Chun-Ming Chen Hsiu-Hua Wang Cheng-Shiun He Hsin-Tzu Lin Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study Healthcare norms functional fitness elderly region Taiwan physical activity |
| title | Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | functional fitness norms of community dwelling older adults in southern rural taiwan a cross sectional study |
| topic | norms functional fitness elderly region Taiwan physical activity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/213 |
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