Le. Voorrips et al., THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF ELDERLY WOMEN DIFFERING IN HABITUAL PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY, Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 25(10), 1993, pp. 1152-1157
In a cross-sectional study, 50 elderly women (age 71.5 +/- 4.2 yr, mea
n +/-SD) participated in a battery of tests assessing several aspects
of physical fitness. The women were selected based on tertiles of habi
tual physical activity as determined by a validated questionnaire 10 m
onths ago. The tests comprised the following measurements: peak expira
tory flow, flexibility of shoulder joint, flexibility of hip and spine
, balance, reaction time, grip strength, manual dexterity, and enduran
ce. Additionally, data were collected on height, body weight, and syst
olic and diastolic blood pressure. A questionnaire was used to evaluat
e subjective fitness and general subjective health. Results indicated
that physically more active elderly women tend to have better results
on most tests. Body weight and body mass index, flexibility of the hip
and spine (assessed using a sit-and-reach test), and endurance on a w
alk test were significantly better in the more active women. Test resu
lts are confirmed by subjective evaluation by the participants.