Physical function and activity among older adults in Jodhpur, India

Abstract

Background: Physical activity impacts the ageing process; yet, few studies have examined relationships among physical activity, functional abilities and health among older adults in non-Western settings.

Aim: This study tests for associations among measures of physical activity, function and self-report health conditions among 200 older adults (49--50 years old) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.

Methods: Seven consecutive days of accelerometry data were used in measures of physical activity (Total Daily Energy Expenditure [TDEE], Physical Activity Level [PAL], Daily Average Activity Count [AC] and Activity Energy Expenditure [AEE]). Measures of physical function included grip strength, timed walk and daily average sit time. Participants reported if they had been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and/or depression.

Results: All four measures of physical activity were positively associated with grip strength (p ≤ 0.05). AC was negatively associated with timed walk (p ≤ 0.05), and both AC and AEE were negatively associated with daily average sit time (p ≤ 0.05). Women who reported diagnosis of hypertension had lower PAL and AC (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion: This study provides further evidence for a positive relationship between physical activity and functional ability among older adults and between physical activity and cardiovascular health among women in India.

• Accelerometry
• physical activity
• older adults
• ageing
• SAGE

Acknowledgements

We thank the study participants and study team, including study co-ordination by Sunit Mathur. Sharon R. Williams contributed to the development of the accelerometry protocol. We also thank Nirmala Naidoo for assisting with the questionnaire design and data cleaning and Alex Halmi for his assistance with data analysis.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) at the National Institute on Aging, US National Institutes of Health, through Interagency Agreements (OGHA 04034785; YA1323-08-CN-0020; Y1-AG-1005-01) with World Health Organization and grant NIH R01-AG034479 provided funding for this study.