Association of Physical Fitness Participation with Cognitive Function and Balance Among the Elderly in Denpasar

Background and purpose: Aging is known to cause cognitive impairment and bodily imbalance. Studies havefound that physical exercise helps to delay such depreciation. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationshipbetween participation in physical fitness and cognitive function and balance among the elderly in Denpasar.Methods: Study was cross sectional, involving 60 elderly who were categorised into those who participated inphysical exercise and those who did not, using proportional stratified random sampling. MoCa-Ina was used todetermine the level of cognitive function and Romberg Test was applied to determine body balance. Data wereanalysed using chi-square and logistic regression tests.Results: The proportion of normal cognitive function among elderly who did and did not participate in physical fitnesswere 80% and 20%, respectively. Similarly, proportions of normal body balance among the elderly who did and did notparticipate in physical fitness were 86.7% and 20.0% respectively. These differences were statistically significant. Inlogistic regression analysis, it was shown that the variables affecting cognitive function were participation in physicalfitness and in a hobby, and variables that affected body balance were participation in physical fitness and diseasehistory.Conclusion: Participation in physical fitness was associated with cognitive function and bodily balance among elderly