The study aims to categorize physical activity patterns in the elderly and investigate the relationship between these patterns and physical fitness. Method: We included in our study 95 older adults (37 males,57 females; Mage=71.01years) from three communities in Beijing, without missing data on both physical fitness and quality of life. The inclusion criteria: (1) age ≥ 60 years old, (2) residence in the local community for more than 5 years, and exclusion criteria: Those who have been unable to perform relevant physical activities within the last month due to illness or other reasons. The characteristics of the study population were investigated by self-designed questionnaires. Grip strength, body flexibility, and balance were tested with reference to the requirements of the National Physical Fitness Monitoring Operation Manual. Physical activities were assessed using the Physical Activity Survey for the elderly (PASE). Physical activity characteristics of the sample cases were identified using systematic clustering to obtain the physical activity patterns of the study subjects, and multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the relationship between physical fitness and physical activity patterns Two physical activity patterns of the study subjects were identified, namely: low physical activity level pattern and leisure-chore activity patternhe sic total PASE score, total physical activity time, leisure physical activity time, and chore-based physical activity time of the older adults subordinated to the leisure-chore activity pattern were higher than those of the low physical activity level pattern (P < 0.05). There was no linear correlation between physical activity patterns and strength qualities and physical flexibility; there was a positive correlation between balance and leisure-chore activity patterns in older adults (β=0.250, P < 0.05). Two patterns of physical activity were identified among community-dwelling older adults in Beijing: a low physical activity level pattern and a leisure-chore activity pattern. Older adults who belonged to the leisure-chore activity had better balance than those in the low physical activity level patterns.
Fan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.