Abstract
Three hundred and eighty-three persons of the seventy-year-olds of different sexes were selected. They underwent four times of group medical examinations at an interval of five years. A secular change of physique and strength of a “continuing group” persons who attended every occasion of the group medical examination, and a “dropping out group” persons who were absent from some of the occasions, was analyzed. The method of analysis was mainly focus on the features of the continuing group by taking those of the dropping out group into consideration.
Persons who underwent every occasion of the group medical examination, i.e. four times, accounted for only 16% of the examinees who had attended the first occasion of the medical examination. Although declines in the physique and strength due to aging were observed, but the pace of the declining did not progress uniformly. The tendency of contraction of stature with the advance of age became dull, the tendency of losing weight became intense and one-foot balance time with eyes open had a tendency to reduce by half every five years. Daily vitality, grip strength and one-foot balance time with eyes open of the continuing group were higher than those of the dropping out group, and the rates of declining in stature, weight and grip strength per five years of the continuing group remained at low levels.
