TY - JOUR
T1 - Physical activity as a preventative factor for frailty
T2 - The health, aging, and body composition study
AU - Peterson, Matthew J.
AU - Giuliani, Carol
AU - Morey, Miriam C.
AU - Pieper, Carl F.
AU - Evenson, Kelly R.
AU - Mercer, Vicki
AU - Cohen, Harvey J.
AU - Visser, Marjolein
AU - Brach, Jennifer S.
AU - Kritchevsky, Stephen B.
AU - Goodpaster, Bret H.
AU - Rubin, Susan
AU - Satterfield, Suzanne
AU - Newman, Anne B.
AU - Simonsick, Eleanor M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging, Contracts N01-AG-6-2101, N01-AG-6-2103, and N01-AG-6-2106.
PY - 2009/1
Y1 - 2009/1
N2 - Background. It is unclear if physical activity (PA) can prevent or reverse frailty. We examined different doses and types of PA and their association with the onset and severity of frailty. Methods. Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study participants ( N = 2,964) were followed for 5 years, with frailty defined as a gait speed of less than 0.60 m/s and/or inability to rise from a chair without using one's arms. Individuals with one impairment were considered moderately frail and those with both severely frail. We examined PA doses of volume and intensity, activity types (eg, lifestyle vs exercise activities), and their associations with incident frailty and transition to severe frailty in those who became frail. Results. Adjusted models indicated that sedentary individuals had significantly increased odds of developing frailty compared with the exercise active group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.01), whereas the lifestyle active did not. Number of diagnoses was the strongest predictor of incident frailty. In those who became frail during follow-up ( n = 410), there was evidence that the sedentary (adjusted OR = 2.80; 95% CI: 0.98-8.02) and lifestyle active (adjusted OR = 2.81; 95% CI: 1.22-6.43) groups were more likely to have worsening frailty over time. Conclusions. Despite the strong relationship seen between comorbid conditions and onset of frailty, this observational study suggests that participation in self-selected exercise activities is independently associated with delaying the onset and the progression of frailty. Regular exercise should be further examined as a potential factor in frailty prevention for older adults.
AB - Background. It is unclear if physical activity (PA) can prevent or reverse frailty. We examined different doses and types of PA and their association with the onset and severity of frailty. Methods. Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study participants ( N = 2,964) were followed for 5 years, with frailty defined as a gait speed of less than 0.60 m/s and/or inability to rise from a chair without using one's arms. Individuals with one impairment were considered moderately frail and those with both severely frail. We examined PA doses of volume and intensity, activity types (eg, lifestyle vs exercise activities), and their associations with incident frailty and transition to severe frailty in those who became frail. Results. Adjusted models indicated that sedentary individuals had significantly increased odds of developing frailty compared with the exercise active group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.01), whereas the lifestyle active did not. Number of diagnoses was the strongest predictor of incident frailty. In those who became frail during follow-up ( n = 410), there was evidence that the sedentary (adjusted OR = 2.80; 95% CI: 0.98-8.02) and lifestyle active (adjusted OR = 2.81; 95% CI: 1.22-6.43) groups were more likely to have worsening frailty over time. Conclusions. Despite the strong relationship seen between comorbid conditions and onset of frailty, this observational study suggests that participation in self-selected exercise activities is independently associated with delaying the onset and the progression of frailty. Regular exercise should be further examined as a potential factor in frailty prevention for older adults.
KW - Aging
KW - Exercise
KW - Frail elderly
KW - Longitudinal studies
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U2 - 10.1093/gerona/gln001
DO - 10.1093/gerona/gln001
M3 - Article
C2 - 19164276
AN - SCOPUS:64249120400
SN - 1079-5006
VL - 64
SP - 61
EP - 68
JO - Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
IS - 1
ER -