Relationship between physical activity level and balance in middle-aged and older women

Abstract Introduction: Physical exercise may improve motor skills, such as static standing balance. However, the association between physical activity level based on activities of daily living and static balance is unknown. Objective: To assess the association between the physical activity level and static balance in middle-aged and older women. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 589 community-dwelling women. Static balance was assessed using the single-leg stance test (SLST) with eyes open and closed. Physical activity level was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and classified as high, moderate, or low. Kruskal-Wallis test compared balance performance between participants with different physical activity levels. Multiple quantile regression analyses assessed the association between variables adjusted for age, family income, educational level, body mass index, comorbidities, and parity. Results: Participants with low physical activity level showed worse SLST performance with eyes open and closed than participants with high physical activity level in the bivariate analysis. However, physical activity level and SLST performance were not associated in the analysis adjusted for covariates. Conclusion: Our results suggested that only being active in daily living activities is not associated with better standing balance in middle-aged and older women. Specific physical exercise programs should be implemented to improve balance in this population.

摘要 引言：体育锻炼或可改善运动技能，例如静态站立平衡。然而，基于日常生活活动的体力活动水平与静态平衡之间的关联尚不明确。
目的：评估中老年女性的体力活动水平与静态平衡之间的关联。
方法：本横断面研究纳入589名社区居住女性。静态平衡采用睁眼与闭眼状态下的单腿站立试验（single-leg stance test, SLST）进行评估。体力活动水平采用国际体力活动问卷简版（International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form）进行评估，并划分为高、中、低三个等级。采用克鲁斯卡尔-沃利斯检验（Kruskal-Wallis test）比较不同体力活动水平参与者的平衡表现；采用多重分位数回归分析（multiple quantile regression analyses），在校正年龄、家庭收入、教育水平、体重指数（body mass index）、合并症及产次后，评估体力活动水平与静态平衡之间的关联。
结果：双变量分析显示，与高体力活动水平的参与者相比，低体力活动水平的参与者在睁眼和闭眼状态下的单腿站立试验表现更差。但在校正协变量后的分析中，体力活动水平与单腿站立试验表现并无显著关联。
结论：本研究结果表明，仅通过日常生活活动获得的体力活动，与中老年女性更佳的站立平衡并无关联。应制定针对性的体育锻炼计划，以改善该人群的平衡能力。