Urban-rural differences in physical performance and health status among older Japanese community-dwelling women

[Background/Purpose]Assessment of physical performance allows the identification of health and functional independence among older adults. Several factors, such as environmental conditions, influence the results; therefore our objective was to compare the physical performance and the health status between older Japanese women living in urban and rural communities. [Methods]The Japanese women were aged ≥65 years, and recruited in urban (n = 41, age = 73.8 ± 3.92 years) and rural (n = 54, age = 73.8 ± 4.15 years) locations through the local press. Physical performance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go (TUG), one leg stand (OLS), repeated chair stands (CS) and handgrip strength (HGS) tests. Health status was investigated using socio-demographic characteristics; anthropometric measures and body composition; physical activity, a pedometer, Life-Space Assessment (LSA); Geriatric Depression Scale; incidence of falls, fear of falling; and medical information. Variables were compared by χ2 test, Independent-Samples t test and Mann Whitney U-test. [Results]Rural individuals presented a better performance in the HGS test (p = 0.01) than urban individuals, who had a better performance in the CS test (p < 0.001). No statistical differences were found in the TUG or OLS tests. Rural women also had a higher body mass index (p = 0.04), waist circumference (p < 0.01), and body fat percentage (p = 0.014) than urban women, who showed higher scores in LSA (p < 0.001). Concerning medical information, more rural women complained of low back pain (p = 0.01) and gastrointestinal problems (p = 0.02). [Conclusion]Our findings showed that the physical performance and health status varied according to the place. Rural individuals had worse results in the CS test, but a better performance in the HGS test than urban individuals. We emphasize that health interventions should address the specific demand of each location