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. 2019 Jun;51(6):1146-1153.
doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001884.

Exercise Arrangement Is Associated with Physical and Mental Health in Older Adults

Satoshi Seino  1 , Akihiko Kitamura, Yui Tomine, Izumi Tanaka, Mariko Nishi, Y U Taniguchi, Yuri Yokoyama, Hidenori Amano, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Shoji Shinkai
Affiliations

Exercise Arrangement Is Associated with Physical and Mental Health in Older Adults

Satoshi Seino et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: Although exercising with others might have health benefits, no previous study has comprehensively examined associations of exercise arrangement with physical activity (PA), physical function (PF), and mental health (MH). We examined whether PA, PF, and MH are better when exercising with others than when exercising alone or not exercising.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 7759 (4007 men and 3752 women) nondisabled residents age 65 to 84 yr. PA, PF, and MH were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (PA sufficiency defined as ≥150 min·wk of moderate-to-vigorous PA), Motor Fitness Scale (higher PF defined as total score ≥12 in men and ≥10 in women), and World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (better MH defined as a total score ≥13), respectively. Exercise arrangement was classified as "nonexerciser," "exercising alone," and "exercising with others." Using multilevel logistic regression analyses, we examined independent associations of exercise arrangement with PA, PF, and MH.

Results: Compared with exercising alone, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) among nonexercisers and those exercising with others were 0.21 (0.17-0.25) and 1.32 (1.04-1.67), respectively, for PA sufficiency, 0.47 (0.40-0.57) and 1.12 (0.94-1.34) for higher PF, and 0.69 (0.58-0.82) and 1.45 (1.17-1.79) for better MH, respectively, in men. In women, the corresponding odds ratios were 0.37 (0.30-0.46) and 1.31 (1.01-1.70) for PA sufficiency, 0.66 (0.54-0.80) and 1.08 (0.88-1.32) for higher PF, and 0.70 (0.58-0.85) and 1.27 (1.03-1.56) for better MH, respectively.

Conclusions: Exercising alone and with others were better than no exercise for maintaining better PA, PF, and MH in both sexes. Although exercise arrangement had little effect on maintaining PF, exercising with others appears to enhance PA levels and MH in both sexes.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram of study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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