Aspects of physical function influencing effects of long-term care prevention program

Abstract

There are few studies that have examined the aspects influencing the effects of a long-term care prevention program. In this study, we investigated the influence of the physical function at the end of an exercise class on the effects of a long-term care prevention program. Participants were 23 community-dwelling elderly in the “A” ward of the Tokyo Metropolitan. All participants completed an exercise class. Their certification of the longterm care insurance （certified or not） was investigated at 1.5 to 2.0 year after the class. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between physical fitness levels at the end of the class and the certification. In addition, the 5-m usual walking time was strongly associated with the certification （odds ratio 2.853, 95％ confidence interval: 1.094－ 7.440, P ＝ 0.032）. According to the ROC curve analysis, the cut-off value of the 5-m usual walking time was revealed to be 4.96 sec. The walking ability is considered to be a strong predictor of future ADL and the risk of dependence on long-term care services. This study indicates that to elongate the healthy life expectancy, the walking speed should be maintained under 1 m/ sec.