The relationship between physical, psychological function and exercise habits in community-dwelling elderly women.

Abstract

To clarify the health literacy of elderly females living in communities andits relationships with physical/psychological functions and exercise habits, a cross-sectional study was conducted, involving participants of physical fitness tests in acity.Theparticipantsʼbackgrounds, living conditions, health literacy, and exercise habits were examined using a self-administered questionnaire, while assessing their physical (muscle strength,flexibility, balance, and walking ability) and psychological (subjective health and life satisfaction) functions. On statistical analysis, propensity scores were used to control confounders, and logistic regression analysis was subsequently performed to identify factors influencing health literacy. Through analysis, subjective health and exercise habits were selected as health literacy-related factors, suggesting the necessity of promoting subjective health and the development/maintenance of exercise habits to enhance health literacy.