PHYSICAL-FITNESS AND FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

Background: Conceptual models of disability have focused on disease-sp ecific factors as the primary cause of disability. Functional Limitati ons in the performance of basic tasks are considered primary mediators on the causal pathway from disease to disability. Purpose: The purpos e of this study was to assess the association between three fitness co mponents (cardiorespiratory, morphologic, and strength) and functional limitations. Methods: Analyses employed data collected upon 161 older adults (72.5 +/- 5.1 yr) who agreed to undergo baseline testing in a clinical trial. Results: after controlling for age, race, sex, educati on, depressive symptoms, and body mass index, all three fitness compon ents were directly associated with functional limitations (P < 0.05). This study is the first to characterize a broad set of individual fitn ess components as they relate to functional limitations and the first to examine directly measured cardiorespiratory fitness within the cont ext of existing disability models. Conclusion: These findings suggest that low fitness is a risk factor for functional decline independent o f disease processes.