Takashi Jindo

OBJECTIVES: We examined the effects of a one-year multicomponent workplace intervention that introduced short active breaks from prolonged sitting on occupational movement behaviors and health among Japanese office workers. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Tokyo, Japan (2019-2020). In the intervention group (N=172), activity breaks from sitting were introduced to the work schedule (approximately 10 minutes/working hour) together with support strategies to encourage participation (eg, social support, provision of information). Workers in the control group (N=323), who worked at the same company group as those in the intervention group, did not receive any intervention. We evaluated accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity during working hours as primary outcomes, and mental health and subjective job performance as secondary outcomes. Propensity score weighting using overlap weights was performed to examine between-group differences in outcomes at one year. RESULTS: At the one-year follow-up assessment, sedentary behaviors during working hours in the intervention group decreased by 24.4 minutes (95% confidence interval 31.6-17.3), with physical activity increasing by a comparable amount (P for group difference <0.05). However, at the one-year follow-up, psychological distress had worsened and work engagement had declined in the intervention group relative to baseline (P for group difference <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that this program is a feasible approach to reducing sedentary behavior and promoting physical activity during work hours among office workers. However, methodological limitations prevent the definitive attribution of the effects to the intervention. Further rigorous research is needed to assess its effectiveness and external validity before broad implementation.

The correlation between early attrition and school sports clubs has been underexplored. This study aims to clarify the correlates of early attrition from school sports clubs at a private male senior high school in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Of the 928 first-year students, 331 belonging to the school's sports clubs were included in this study. A baseline survey was conducted in May 2017 and a follow-up survey was conducted in October 2019. This study defined early attrition as a student who quit a sports club earlier than April in their third year. Examined correlates for early attrition consisted of biological, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional factors. We used univariate logistic regression analysis, in which early attrition was the response variable and the examined correlates were the explanatory variables, and calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, 232 students (85.0%) continued to participate in sports clubs after April of their third year, and 41 students (15.0%) experienced early attrition. Statistically significant correlates for early attrition were weight (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.90–0.98), body mass index (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.74–0.97), experience of injury or disability (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.19–0.87), athletic achievement (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.13–0.62), and duration of experience of the sport (OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98–1.00). Our findings suggest that the school officers or family members of students should recognize the possibility of early attrition and provide appropriate support if a student experiences early attrition. The athletic level or norms of school sports club activities may differ among other schools and sports clubs; therefore, it is necessary to examine whether our findings are applicable to other schools and sports clubs.

This study aimed to examine the factors related to participation in volunteer-managed preventive care exercises by focusing on the distance to exercise facilities and interpersonal social networks. A postal mail survey was conducted in 2013 in Kasama City in a rural region of Japan. Older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) who were living independently (n = 16,870) were targeted. Potential participants who were aware of silver-rehabili taisou exercise (SRTE) and/or square-stepping exercise (SSE) were included in the analysis (n = 4005). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that social and environmental factors were associated with participation in SRTE and SSE. After adjusting for confounding variables, exercise participation was negatively associated with an extensive distance from an exercise facility in both sexes for SRTE and SSE. Among women, participation in SRTE was negatively associated with weak interpersonal social networks (odds ratio (OR) = 0.57), and participation in SRTE and SSE was negatively associated with being a car passenger (SRTE, OR = 0.76; SSE, OR = 0.60). However, there were no significant interactions between sex and social and environmental factors. Our findings suggest the importance of considering location and transportation to promote participation in preventive care exercise.

BACKGROUND: Although a few studies have confirmed the association of accelerometer-measured sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), PA intensity and co-dependent daily time-use of movement behaviours are yet to be studied. AIMS: To cross-sectionally examine the dose-response relationship between accelerometer-measured SB or PA and NAFLD using cubic spline analysis and the interdependence of movement behaviours over 24 hours with compositional data analysis. METHODS: Data were obtained between May 2017 and February 2020 from 1914 people who were not heavy alcohol drinkers using health check-ups at the Meiji Yasuda Shinjuku Medical Center, Tokyo. SB, light-intensity PA (LPA) and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) were evaluated using a triaxial accelerometer. Fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. RESULTS: A multivariable-adjusted logistic model showed an inverse association between MVPA and NAFLD (odds ratio [OR] per 600 metabolic equivalents [MET]-min/week = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76-0.96). MVPA showed rapidly decreasing odds of NAFLD to approximately 1800 MET-min/week in cubic spline analysis and then a moderate decline. Although SB was significantly associated with NAFLD in a body mass index (BMI)-unadjusted model, it was not significant in a BMI-adjusted model. In the compositional isotemporal substitution, reallocating 60 min/day of SB to MVPA decreased the odds of NAFLD by 22% (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65-0.93), whereas reallocating 60 min/day of MVPA to SB increased it by 69% (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.12-2.38). CONCLUSIONS: The inverse dose-response association between MVPA and NAFLD confirms increased MVPA as a target for the prevention of NAFLD.

Objective: Ergonomic office redesigning possibly improves physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB); however, its impact on cardiometabolic risk has not yet been determined. This study aimed to examine the effect of office relocation on cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: Annual health check-up data of 95 office workers from four offices in Tokyo, Japan, who relocated to an office with activity-based working (ABW) and height-adjustable desk (HAD) and a propensity-score matched control-cohort were analyzed. PA and SB on weekdays were measured only in the relocation group before and 10 months after relocation. Results: Significant interactions were observed for waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). HbA1c changes showed a significant negative association with moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA. Conclusion: An ABW office with HAD improves cardiometabolic risk factors in office workers, possibly through changes in PA and SB.

We clarified the effect of exercising with others on the risks of incident functional disability and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling adults. We used an inventory mail survey with a five-year follow-up for 1520 independently living older adults (mean age: 73.4 ± 6.3 years) in Kasama City, Japan. Subjects responded to a self-reported questionnaire in June 2014. Exercise habits and the presence of exercise partners were assessed. Subjects were classified into three groups: Non-exercise, exercising alone, and exercising with others. Follow-up information and date of incident functional disability and death during the five-year follow-up were collected from the database. To compare the association between exercise habits and functional disability and mortality, Cox regression analysis was conducted. Compared with the non-exercise group, exercising with others had significantly lower hazard ratios (HRs) for functional disability (0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40–0.88) and mortality (0.40, 95% CI 0.24–0.66) in the covariate models. Compared with exercising alone, exercising with others decreased the HRs for incident functional disability (0.53, 95% CI: 0.36–0.80) and mortality (0.50, 95% CI 0.29–0.85) rates in the unadjusted model; these associations were not significant in the covariate models. Exercising with others can contribute to functional disability prevention and longevity.

We investigated the relationship between workplace exercise and psychological distress, and work engagement, both of which are factors related to the mental health and work productivity of employees. Data from the Meiji Yasuda Lifestyle study, collected from July 2017 through December 2017, were used. Data from an annual health checkup and questionnaire were collected from the Meiji Yasuda Shinjuku Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan. The 1321 participants (mean age: 50.8 ± 9.5 years, rate of female: 68.2%, rate of white-collar workers: 64.7%) were divided into three groups based on the frequency of performing workplace exercise: less than once, once or twice, and three or more times a week. Vigor of work engagement and psychological distress were assessed using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine relationships between workplace exercise frequencies and work engagement or psychological distress. Demographic variables, health behaviors, health status, work characteristics, and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior were adjusted for odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Participants who performed workplace exercise once or twice and three or more times a week showed a significantly higher OR (OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.00-3.71, p = 0.049, OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.23-2.15, p = 0.001, respectively) for vigor of work engagement. Neither groups of workplace exercise showed a significant OR for psychological distress even when adjusted for covariates. The practice of workplace exercise is positively and independently related to vigor of work engagements of physical activity and sedentary behavior, and the association was observed regardless of the frequency of once or twice, or three or more times a week. Workplace exercise, however, does not correlate with psychological distress. Our findings indicated that workplace exercise at least once or twice a week could have practical implications for the enhancement of vigor of work engagement, especially among white-collar workers.

It has been reported that office environment is an important determinant of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in office workers. However, the effect of changes in office environment (office renovation) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine PA, SB, and space utilization changes among office workers in response to office renovation. This study was a natural experiment at three offices of a single company in Tokyo, Japan. The participants were, 13 workers from one office in the renovation group (mean age: 37.9 ± 10.8 years, percentage of females: 23.1%) and 29 from two offices in the control group (mean age: 42.3 ± 11.2 years, percentage of females: 31.0%). In the renovation, introduction of activity-based working (ABW) and installation of height-adjustable desks (HAD) were adopted. The ABW office was designed to provide various shared workstations, enabling the workers to choose workstations depending on their task or mood. Accelerometer measurement and object detection method using artificial intelligence (AI) technology for video images were used to assess behavior and space utilization before and after the renovation. Two weeks after the renovation, significant improvements in SB (pre- to post-renovation improvements: 346.8 ± 28.6 to 321.2 ± 17.8 min/working-hours) and PA (total PA: 173.2 ± 28.6 to 198.8 ± 17.8 min/working-hours; and light-intensity PA: 130.4 ± 27.1 to 150.7 ± 31.0 min/working-hours) were observed. In addition, the results of the object detection analysis showed that the central aisle of the office and shared HAD workstations near the entrance or window were utilized more frequently than the other spaces. This study suggested that office renovation could improve SB and PA immediately after the renovation. Moreover, utilized spaces and HAD workstations could play an important role to enhance employees' activity in an ABW office.

Although a growing number of studies have reported the positive effects of acute aerobic exercise on mood and executive function in older adults, little is known about the effect of aerobic dance exercise（ADE）on executive function. In the present study, we aimed to compare the acute effects of light-intensity, slow-tempo ADE and light-intensity cycling exercise（CE）on mood and executive function in older adults. Twenty-one older adults performed each type of exercise for 10 minutes on separate days. The intensity of the CE was set at 60% of the ventilatory threshold. Before and after the exercise, mood（i.e., vitality, stability, pleasure, and arousal）and executive function were assessed by using the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale and the Stroop task, respectively. The heart rates and ratings of perceived exertion during exercise indicated that the intensities of both types of exercise were within the light-intensity range. Vitality and pleasure levels were increased following ADE, but no such changes were observed following CE. Although no differences in stability levels were observed following either type of exercise, we observed a significant interaction between time and e

Installation of height-adjustable desks（HAD）are recommended to reduce sitting behaviors in the workplace. However, it is still unclear whether standing desk work using the HAD could decrease sitting time and increase physical activity（PA）during in-office working hours. This study aims to investigate the association of the usage of HADs with objectively measured sitting behaviors, or PA, among Japanese employees. This study was conducted in Tokyo in November 2018 at a single office of an office furniture manufacturing and sales company. Participants included 90 employees that completed a self-reported questionnaire survey and wore a tri-axial accelerometer to measure PA and sitting time（ST）. In the target office, electric HADs were installed on hot-desking spaces, and fixed seats which were available for all employees. Participants were divided into two groups of users or non-users of HADs based on their responses to the questionnaire. Independent t-tests were applied to examine the differences in ST and PA between HAD users and non-users for participants stratified by job type（sales work or other office work）. Among the office workers, users showed less ST and greater PA（ST: 377.4 ± 51.7, PA: 142.6 ± 51.7 min/8.67-hours）than non-users during working hours（ST: 412.0 ± 42.6, PA: 108.0 ± 42.6 min/8.67-hours）, and greater non-locomotive activities（99.7 ± 45.1 min/8.67-hours）than non-users（67.1 ± 29.1 min/8.67-hours）. HAD users showed fewer bouts of prolonged ST（consecutive ST for 30 minutes or longer）than non-users（1.2 ± 0.8 vs. 1.8 ± 0.6 time/8.67-hours）. There were no significant differences observed between the two sales groups. These results suggest that working in a standing position using an HAD effectively improves ST in office workers. On the other hand, using an HAD might enhance non-locomotive activities, such as standing or posture adjust-ments at or around the desk, but it may not enhance locomotive activities.

Both school and public sports clubs play an important role in the development of athletes in Japan. Althoughsome studies have investigated the relationship of mental health and numerous factors, including level of athleticperformance, and years of experience with sports, limited studies have examined the differences among athletic organizations for adolescents. Focusing on soccer, the most popular sport among Japanese adolescents, we conducted the present investigation with participants from a school soccer club and J-League youth teams. This study aimed to reveal the relationship of athletic sports with coping skills and psychological distress in male high school students, with special reference to differences among athletic organizations. This study was conducted in a boys&#039; senior high school and 4 J-League youth teams, from April to June 2017. Thehigh school has a strong soccer club that has regularly won a national level tournament. We selected students whobelonged to the school soccer club（n = 108）and those who did not belong to a school or public sports club（the donot belong to a sports club group, n = 333）. Moreover, students who belonged to school soccer club were dividedinto 2 groups based on whether they had won a prize or not in a previous tournament larger than a prefecture levelcompetition（school soccer club without a winning experience, n = 50; school soccer club with a winning experience,n = 58）. For the J-League youth team, we used 51 students&#039; data for the analysis. To evaluate the participants&#039; ability to cope with stress, we used the three-item sense of coherence（SOC）scale. For psychological distress, we used the Japanese version of the profile of mood states（POMS）short form, and we calculated the total mood disturbance（TMD）score. To compare SOC and TMD scores between the groups, we used the Kruskal-Wallis test and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The analysis revealed significant group differences in the SOC score. Specifically, the school soccer club with awinning experience group and the J-League youth group had higher scores than those of the group that did not belong to a sports club. There was no significant difference between the scores of the school soccer club without a winning experience group and the other groups. Further, there were significant group differences in the TMD score,with the J-League youth group exhibiting lower score as compared to all other groups. This study indicated that, regardless of athletic organization, male senior high school students who played soccerat a high level had higher scores related to coping skills as compared to students who did not belong to a sports club.Meanwhile, psychological distress scores differed across athletic organizations, with students in the J-League youthteam exhibiting favorable mood states.

It is still unclear what timing and intensity of physical activity（PA）is effective to promote good sleep for workers.This study investigates associations of objectively measured timing and intensity of PA with subjective sleep qualityin Japanese employees. Data were gathered from 104 Japanese employees（age 46.1 ± 10.0 years; women 64.4%）who mainly engaged indesk work. Participants wore an accelerometer （HJA-750C, Omron Healthcare Co.）for a month, and we calculatedaverage daily low-intensity PA（LPA, 1.6–2.9 METs）, moderate-intensity PA（MPA, 3.0–5.9 METs）, and vigorousintensity PA（VPA, ≥ 6.0 METs）in the morning（05:00–11:59）, afternoon（12:00–17:59）and evening（18:00–24:00）, respectively. We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index（PSQI）to assess subjective sleep quality, and calculated sleep efficiency, daytime dysfunction score and PSQI global score. Adjusted multiple regression models revealed that LPA in the afternoon have significant favorable associations with daytime dysfunction score（β = －0.353）and PSQI global score（β = －0.333）. In the evening, VPA was significantly associated with higher sleep efficiency（β = 0.261）. To maintain a good sleep quality for employees, our findings are the first pointing at LPA in the afternoon, and at VPA after office hours would be effective.

&lt;p&gt;The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between continuous exercise and engagement in sports activities from junior high school and generalized self-efficacy (GSE) during senior high school in male students.&lt;br&gt; Methods: &lt;br&gt; We conducted this study at a private boys&#039; senior high school in Japan. A self-report questionnaire assessing previous (i.e., junior high school) and current (i.e., senior high school) exercise and sports practices was administered to all 1st and 2nd year students in physical education classes; cross-sectional data were obtained from 1,187 students (response rate: 83.0％). We evaluated current GSE using the Japanese version of the GSE Scale. Subjects were divided into the following six groups based on whether they belonged to a sports club at junior high school (belonged or did not belong to sports club) and exercise and sports habits in senior high school (no practice, individual practice, belonged to a sports club): 1) never belonged to a sports club (did not belong/no practice, n＝96), 2) stopped belonging to a sports club (belonged/no practice, n＝454), 3) began sports individually (did not belong/individual practice, n＝10), 4) continued sports individually (belonged/individual practice, n＝79), 5) began belonging to a sports club (did not belong/belonged, n＝21), and 6) continued belonging to a sports club (belonged/belonged, n＝527). We used analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for potential cofounders, to compare GSE between the six groups.&lt;br&gt; Results: &lt;br&gt; As a result of the ANCOVA, the following three groups had significantly higher GSE than the never belonged to sports club group: the stopped belonging to a sports club, continued sports individually and continued belonging to a sports club groups. Additionally, the continued sports individually and continued belonging to a sports club groups had significantly higher GSE than the stopped belonging to a sports club group.&lt;br&gt; Conclusion: &lt;br&gt; These results suggest that belonging to a sports club from junior high school to senior high school may enhance GSE in male adolescents. However, stopping involvement with a sports club and individually continuing exercise or sports may also be effective for enhancing GSE.&lt;/p&gt;

[Purpose] There is a relationship between physical and cognitive functions therefore, impairment of physical function would mean cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the association between change in physical and cognitive functions. [Subjects and Methods] Participants were 169 healthy community-dwelling older adults who attend the survey after three years from baseline (mean age, 72.4 ± 4.8 years). Grip strength, one-leg standing balance, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and go, 5-m habitual walk, and a peg-moving task were used to evaluate physical performance. Five cognitive function tests were used to assess attention, memory, visuospatial function, verbal fluency, and reasoning. Cognitive function was defined as the cumulative score of these tests. [Results] At baseline, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and go, and hand dexterity were independently associated with cognitive function. In longitudinal analyses, changes in habitual walking speed and hand dexterity were significantly associated with change in cognitive function. [Conclusion] Deterioration of specific physical function, such as hand dexterity and walking ability, may be associated with progression of cognitive decline. Decreasing extent of daily functions, such as hand dexterity and walking ability, can be useful indices to grasp changes in cognitive function.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Introduction: &lt;/b&gt;The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects that a group exercise activity managed by elderly volunteers would have on the physical function of older women after they participated in a formal exercise program taught by fitness experts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods: &lt;/b&gt;Subjects were 47 community-dwelling older women who had completed a 3-month exercise program led by expert instructors in Kasama City, Ibaraki. After completing this exercise program, 28 subjects continued to participate in a group exercise activity led by elderly volunteers for approximately 11 months. The remaining 19 subjects did not join the group activities after the formal program. In both the initial, expert-led exercise program and the subsequent, volunteer-led group activity, subjects mainly engaged in the square-stepping exercise, which is a novel exercise for improving lower extremity physical function. In order to assess participants&#039; physical function, we conducted five physical performance tests at both the baseline and follow-up; the former is the last day of the exercise program and the latter is approximately a year after the baseline.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results: &lt;/b&gt;Two-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant interaction in the timed up and go test (P=0.003). The performance of subjects who had participated in the volunteer-managed group activity improved between the baseline and follow-up tests (P=0.007).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/b&gt;Participating in a group exercise activity managed by elderly volunteers can improve mobility skills of older women who had previously completed a formal exercise program led by expert instructors.&lt;/p&gt;

Generalized self-efficacy（GSE）is a belief that a person can successfully perform the behavior in question， and aperson who has high GSE will adopt positive coping behavior in a difficult situation. Although a sports activitymight contribute to enhance GSE, there are only a few studies that focused on the association between GSE andsports activity in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to compare GSE between male adolescents who belongedto sports club and those who did not belong to it, and investigate associated factors of GSE in sports activitycharacteristics. The study subjects were 186 junior high and 1169 high school male students in Fukuoka, Japan. We conducted theinvestigation in a physical education class using a self-reported questionnaire. We evaluated GSE by using thegeneralized self-efficacy scale. Participants were divided into following 2 groups based on whether the subjectsbelonged to a school extracurricular sports activity or a community sports club: belong to sports club（junior highschool: n = 143, high school: n = 519）and do not belong to sports club（junior high school: n = 43, high school: n =650）. We used ANCOVA adjusted for grades to compare the GSE between the two groups. A multiple regression analysiswas used for investigating the associated factors of GSE in the group that belonged to the sports club. Theindependent variables were grades, sports activity days, regular player or not, perceived exertion in daily activity,sports type, and social support. Social support was evaluated by using the athletic social support scale, which assessesperceived social support from coaches, parents, or peers in sports activity. These analyses were conducted separatelyfor junior high school and high school subjects. In both junior high and high school subjects, GSE was significantly higher in the group which belonged to asports club than the other group. There was a significant association between GSE and sports activity days（β = 0.20）and social suppor（t β = 0.34）in junior high school subjects. As for high school subjects, GSE was significantly associatedwith grade（s β = －0.12）, regular playe（r β = 0.13）, team sport（s β = 0.14）and social suppor（t β = 0.28）. This study indicates that belonging to a sports club contributes to improving GSE in male adolescents. Sincesocial support showed high standardized partial regression coefficient for both junior high and high school subjects,it is important to enhance social support in a sports activity to improve GSE.

Purpose of this study was to investigate whether the difference in leisure-time physical activity（LTPA）patternaffects one-year after incident of poor subjective sleep quality（SSQ）in Japanese workers. Study data were obtained from a health check-up program in Tokyo, Japan in 2013. Participants of the study consisted of 3621 workers who met the following criteria: 1）not diagnosed with history of mental illness including depression, 2）not using the hypnotic and 3）not complaining of poor SSQ. LTPA was evaluated using International Physical Activity Questionnaire long version and participants were divided into 4 groups with criteria of ≥ 10 METs-hour/week: 1）notengaging in LTPA, 2）engaging in LTPA but not meeting the criteria, 3）meeting at ≤ 2 days（weekend warrior） and4）meeting at ≥ 3 days（regularly active）. A question concerning SSQ in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was usedand participants who answered &quot;fairly bad&quot; or &quot;very bad&quot; were defined as poor SSQ. Logistic regression analysis was performed adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, economic status, non-working days, alcohol consumption,smoking status, psychological distress and non-LTPA（model 1）. An additional analysis adjusting for the aboveconfounders and LTPA was performed using data from participants meeting the LTPA criteria（model 2）. Participants who engaged in ≥ 10 METs-h/wk of LTPA at ≥ 3 days significantly reduced incident of poor SSQ compared with people with not engaging in LTPA（OR = 0.57, 95%CI = 0.42–0.78）. In model 2, regularly active workerssignificantly reduced incident of poor SSQ compared with weekend warrior（OR = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.41–0.96）. InJapanese workers, to maintain good SSQ, engaging in LTPA regularly/habitually and obtaining ≥ 10 METs-h/w would be more effective than practicing like a weekend warrior.

During an exercise program for older adults, it is important that participants exercise not only in the exercise classroom but also in their daily lives. The present study investigated how goal-setting aimed at increasing daily physical activity by 1,000 steps per day, influenced lower-extremity physical function during the exercise program. The participants were non-randomly allocated to two groups: with goal-setting (n = 19, mean age: 68.9 � 3.3 years) and without goal-setting (n = 13, mean age: 69.9 � 4.2 years). Participants in the group with goal-setting were encouraged to increase their physical activity by 1,000 steps/day above their baseline step counts. All of the subjects in both groups participated in a square-stepping exercise program for 90 min once a week for 9 weeks. To determine the lower-extremity physical function benefits of the program, six types of test were performed before and after the program. There was a significant group-by-time interaction on daily physical activity (p &lt 0.001). The group with goal-setting significantly increased their physical activity, and the group without goal-setting did not change their physical activity. There were significant time effects in the 5-m habitual walk, choice stepping reaction time, and 6-min walk. There was a significant group-by-time interaction in the five-repetition sit-to-stand test (p = 0.006), and only the group without goal-setting improved their performance. Although we successfully increased daily physical activity using goal-setting, we could not confirm the effect of goal-setting on lower-extremity physical function.

認知課題を伴う運動（スクエアステップ）のステップパターンの達成度が3ヵ月間の運動教室前後の体力変化に与える影響を検討した。その結果、達成度にかかわらず平衡性、起居移動能力、反応性などの体力が向上したことから、スクエアステップは個人に合った難度のステップパターンに取り組むことで、体力への効果が見込める運動課題であることが示唆された。

&lt;p&gt;The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between age-associated loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia), muscle strength (dynapenia) and physical functions in community-dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional study included 400 older adults (73.7 ± 5.2 years) conducted in Kasama city, Ibaraki prefecture (2011-2012). Participants were classified to following four groups based on their appendicular skeletal muscle mass (sum of skeletal muscle mass in the arms and legs evaluated by bioelectric impedance analysis), and appendicular skeletal muscle strength (grip strength for upper extremity and peak reaction force during sit-to-stand movement for lower extremity): sarcopenic-dynapenia (SD), dynapenia (D), sarcopenia (S) and non-S/non-D (NSD). We evaluated participants&#039; physical function using 7 physical performance tests. We conducted partial correlation analysis and analysis of covariance adjusted for age, medical history of knee pain and low back pain. Appendicular skeletal muscle strength was significantly associated with all physical performance tests in both genders (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05), however appendicular skeletal muscle mass index was not. As for the results of analysis of covariance, one-leg balance with eyes open, standing time from long sitting position, functional reach, 5-repetition sit-to-stand, timed up and go, and 5-m habitual walk were significantly poorer in SD and D groups than S and NSD groups in men. On the other hand, standing time from long sitting position, functional reach, 5-repetition sit-to-stand, timed up and go, and 5-m habitual walk were significantly poorer in D group than the S group and NSD group in women. These results suggest that dynapenia has a stronger relationship with poor physical performance than sarcopenia.&lt;/p&gt;

Objectives The present study examines factors affecting individuals' awareness of certain types of preventive care exercises, particularly the distance from their home to an exercise facility and their social networks.<br/>Methods Participants were 3206 men (age, 73.0±6.2 years) and 3395 women (age, 73.2±6.4 years) aged ≥65 years who had not been certified as persons with care needs and who had responded to an inventory survey conducted in Kasama City, Japan, in 2013. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to assess the characteristics associated with participants' awareness of two types of exercises for preventive care: "silver rehabili taisou" (SRT) and "square-stepping exercise" (SSE). Independent variables were distance from home to the exercise facility, social networks, transportation availability, physical function, cognitive function, and neighborhood population density.<br/>Results Older adults who were aware of the exercises lived significantly closer to an exercise facility (SRT, aware: 1,148.5±961.3 m vs. unaware: 1,284.2±1,027.4 m; SSE, aware: 1,415.9±1104.1 m vs. unaware: 1,615.7±1,172.2 m). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that participation in community activities (men, SRT–odds ratio [OR]=2.54 and SSE–OR=2.19; women, SRT–OR=4.14 and SSE–OR=3.34] and visiting friends (men, SRT–OR=1.45 and SSE–OR=1.49; women SRT–OR=1.44 and SSE–OR=1.73) were promoting factors for awareness of both types of exercises. In men and women, low physical function (SRT–OR=0.73 and SSE–OR=0.56) and dependence on another person to drive them to the destination (SRT–OR=0.79 and SSE–OR=0.78) were inhibiting factors, respectively. A distance of >500 m between their home and the facility tended to be an inhibiting factor.<br/>Conclusion A shorter distance from home to an exercise facility and better social networks increased awareness of preventive care exercises in both sexes and for both types of exercise. Establishing exercise centers and devising effective methods of imparting information to individuals (e.g., via community magazines and home visits) may promote participation in preventive care exercises.