Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to clarify the level of health-related QOL (HRQL) of local elderly persons, and to examine some strategies necessary for a fitness-oriented approach aimed at maintaining and improving QOL levels. Methods: The study subjects were 258 elderly persons (101 men, 157 women) living in S city in C prefecture. For the HRQL, the deviation score (50 as a standard value, 10 as standard variation) was calculated using the Short Form-36 (SF-36). This score is standardized with the following six subordinate scales: physical function, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social function, and mental health. To calculate the physical fitness level, a physical score obtained from 11 items that reflect activities which parallel daily living activities (APDL) of elderly persons was used. Results: The test results for men showed that HRQL gradually decreased with age, according to the subordinate scales that reflect both physical (physical function and bodily pain) and psychological aspects (social function). In the relationship between the physical score and the HRQL, a significant correlation (P<0.05) was observed between subordinate scale scores for both aspects: physical and psychological. The test results for women showed that there was a tendency for only the physical function to decrease with age. No significant age-specific score difference was observed in other subordinate scales. With regard to physical fitness scores, a significant correlation (P<0.05) was observed only between the physical subordinate scale scores and the physical fitness scores, whereas no significant correlation was observed between psychological subordinate scores and physical fitness scores. Additionally, these correlations showed similar relationships even when control variables were taken into consideration. When comparing average national deviation scores with those of S city, the results showed low scores in each age class for both men and women, except for the subordinate scale of vitality. Conclusion: Physical fitness is a significant factor in maintaining and improving HRQL for older persons, for both men and women, and is a common issue when dealing with the decline in physical fitness associated with old age. Presently in S city, a good environment is being put into place for people to gain ‘meaningful life’ and ‘pleasure’ by focusing on construction of local health promotion facilities and developing local community activities. For the future, with the aim of maintaining and improving physical fitness in consideration of the physical aspects of HRQL, it is important to plan and implement specific measures related to local community activities that can provide ‘pleasure’ and ‘meaningful 1ife’ for elderly persons.
