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. 2024 Jan 15;12(2):213.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12020213.

Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Chun-Wei Wang  1 , Jia-Ling Yeh  2 , Shuk-Fong Li  3 , Chun-Ming Chen  3 , Hsiu-Hua Wang  3 , Cheng-Shiun He  3 , Hsin-Tzu Lin  2
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Functional Fitness Norms of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Southern Rural Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Chun-Wei Wang et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) and functional fitness (FF) are crucial for promoting independent living and healthy aging in older adults. However, there is a lack of normative values for the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) among older adults (aged 55-90) living in southern rural Taiwan, particularly in the Chiayi region, which has been relatively underserved in terms of health-related resources compared to northern Taiwan.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the age- and gender-specific normative fitness scores for a large representative population of community-dwelling older adults in southern rural Taiwan.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to obtain normative FF scores for 3332 community-dwelling elderly people (1057 men and 2275 women) in Chiayi, through the implementation of functional fitness tests across 72 Chiayi communities. The developed normative data served as a reference for exercise prescription for the elderly in southern Taiwan.

Results: The study showed that the average normative values of all functional fitness tests declined significantly with increasing age (p < 0.05). Sex differences were also found in all measures of FF tests, with elderly women scoring significantly better than men on flexibility (scratch back: -1.34 ± 9.03 vs. -6.54 ± 11.07; chair sit and reach: 6.56 ± 9.44 vs. 0.56 ± 10.40) (p < 0.05), while men scored significantly higher than women on strength (grip strength: 30.83 ± 8.06 vs. 21.82 ± 5.32; bicep curl: 19.25 ± 5.44 vs. 17.64 ± 4.98) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, four FF normative scores in southern rural Taiwan were found to be significantly higher than their counterparts living in northern Taiwan.

Conclusion: These findings contribute positively to the evaluation of fitness levels among older adults in southern rural Taiwan and provide a concrete reference for developing sound PA programs for this population. The results suggest that strategies aimed at promoting increased participation in PA among older adults need to consider age-, sex-, and region-specific factors.

Keywords: Taiwan; elderly; functional fitness; norms; physical activity; region.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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