THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITIONAL INTAKE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERLY:THE NAKANOJO STUDY / 体力科学

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between pedometer counts and food intake in Japanese elderly people.Methods: One-hundred-eighty healthy, community-dwelling elderly people were divided into three groups according to age. The number of steps taken by each subject was recorded with a pedometer over a 30-day period in August. The dietary and nutritional intakes were estimated using a food frequency questionnaire.Results: There was no significant difference in the pedometer counts between men and women. The number of steps significantly decreased with age (p<0.01). The intake of energy, protein and carbohydrate were significantly higher in men than in women (p<0.05), and they were nearly the same among the three aged groups. The calcium and vitamin C intakes after adjusting for sex and age increased with the number of daily steps, except for the intakes of energy, protein and carbohydrates.Conclusion: A higher number of daily steps was found to be associated with the calcium and vitamin C intakes.