The purpose of this study was to compare the health status and physical performance (PP) reported by independent elderly Japanese and Korean individuals. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using non-disabled Japanese (n=101) and Korean (n=109) women aged 65 to 84 years. The self-reported health status was determined using a questionnaire in an interview format and various PP tests. The self-rated health reports, graded as fair or poor, revealed that Koreans had significantly better grades (31.2%) than (P<0.001) the Japanese (17.8%). Further, the SF-36 health survey revealed that physical function was significantly lower in Koreans (67.1) than in Japanese (80.1) individuals. In addition, Japanese individuals scored better on 7 PP tests (P<0.001) than Korean individuals, while the latter scored higher than the former in the functional reach and the 3-m tandem walk. Therefore, we recommend an approach to increase the physical activity for independent elderly Korean individuals to prevent physical frailty. In particular, it is critical to introduce policies for maintaining and promoting PP for such individuals.
