Relationship between bone mass and the frequency of stair usage in community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the measured mass of the calcaneus bone and the number of stairs used by community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Data obtained from 169 older adults who participated in a community-based health-check survey (Tarumizu Study 2018) were analyzed. Bone mass was measured using the speed of sound of the calcaneal bone and the obtained values were considered to be low when the percentage of the %YAM of the SOS was ≤ 70%. The frequency of stair usage was classified into two groups: 0 and 1 or more times per day at home, and three sub-groups comprising of: 0–2, 3–7, and 8 or more times per week outside home. Results: The results of logistic regression analysis, in which the dependent variable was the presence or absence of bone loss, and the independent variable was the number of stairs used, showed no significant association with the number of stairs used at home. The number of times the stairs were used outside home was set at 0–2 times as a reference, and bone loss was significantly reduced by 8 times or more (odds ratio 0.32, 95% confidence interval 0.11 –0.97, p = 0.045, covariates: age, gender, ASMI, grip strength, walking speed). Conclusion: It was suggested that the frequent use of stairs outside the home may aid in suppressing bone loss. It could be concluded that the use of stairs in activities including going out may affect bone mass as the frequency of stair usage in the house is not relevant.