Cross-sectional Analysis of the Health-related Quality of Life and Physical Fitness Levels in Aged Japanese Women with Low Quantitative Ultrasound Values of the Os Calcaneus

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and physical fitness levels (PFLs) in elderly women with low bone mass and without fractures, with a further goal of developing preventive programs involving efficient exercises for osteoporotic fractures and falls. The subjects comprised 133 females over 65 years of age whose quantitative ultrasound (QUS) values were < 90% of the young adult means (YAM). Muscle strength (knee extensors, hand grip, and trunk flexors), flexibility, one-leg standing time with eyes open (one-leg stand), time required for a 10-m walk while stepping over six obstacles (10-m walk), and 6-min walking distance (6-min walk) were measured to assess PFL. The subjects' HRQOL scores were relatively high (122.5 ± 15.5; maximum, 160 points) despite their low PFLs, as compared to the Japanese standard PFL in a similar age group. An age-adjusted stepwise multiple regression analysis between PFLs and QUS or HRQOL in 115 subjects which all measurements were performed, revealed that the 10-m walk significantly contributed to the QUS (R2 = 0.152, p = 0.001) and to the total HRQOL score (R2 = 0.025, p = 0.039). With regard to the PFLs, the 6-min walk and one-leg stand contributed to the 10-m walk (R2 = 0.470, p = 0.012). In conclusion, the 10-m walk was observed to be a good indicator for the estimation ofHRQOL and PFLs; subsequently, balance exercise, brisk walking, and endurance walking are good exercises that can be included in preventive programs to maintain a high HRQOL.