Research Achievements - Original paper -
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Relationship between physical activity levels and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older Japanese adults
Songee Jung, Sangyoon Lee, Sungchul Lee, Seongryu Bae, Masakazu Imaoka, Kazuhiro Harada, Hiroyuki Shimada
Geriatrics and Gerontology International ( WILEY ) 18 ( 3 ) 421 - 427 2018.03
Research paper (journal)
© 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to obtain data from 3191 community-dwelling older Japanese adults aged 70–95 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed using self-reported scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale-15. PA was objectively measured using an accelerometer worn for a maximum of 40 days, and average daily durations of light-intensity PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) and step count were calculated. PA was compared between participants with and without depressive symptoms by carrying out analysis of covariance and multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for all covariates by using propensity scores. Results: Depressive symptoms were present in 598 participants (19.6%). A comparison of propensity-score adjusted PA showed that step count (5059.6 ± 53.7 vs 5003.0 ± 112.1 count/day; P = 0.652) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA duration (23.0 ± 0.4 vs 23.8 ± 0.7 min/day; P = 0.358) were not significantly different between participants with and without depressive symptoms, respectively. However, participants without depressive symptoms had a significantly higher LPA duration than those with depressive symptoms (39.4 ± 0.3 vs 37.3 ± 0.7 min/day, respectively; P < 0.01). Conclusions: The present results suggest that individuals with lower LPA have a higher risk of depressive symptoms. These findings imply that PA recommendations, especially for older adults, should emphasize LPA, which appears to be especially effective at preventing depressive symptoms. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 421–427.
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Does attending an exercise class with a spouse improve long-term exercise adherence among people aged 65 years and older: A 6-month prospective follow-up study
Yosuke Osuka, Songee Jung, Taeho Kim, Yoshiro Okubo, Eunbi Kim, Kiyoji Tanaka
BMC Geriatrics ( BMC ) 17 ( 1 ) 170 - 170 2017.07
Research paper (journal)
© 2017 The Author(s). Background: Family support can help older adults better adhere to exercise routine, but it remains unclear whether an exercise program targeting older married couples would have stronger effects on exercise adherence than would a program for individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an exercise program on the exercise adherence of older married couples over a 24-week follow-up period. Methods: Thirty-four older married couples and 59 older adults participated in this study as couple and non-couple groups (CG and NCG, respectively). All participants attended an 8-week supervised program (once a week and a home-based exercise program comprising walking and strength exercises) and then participated in a follow-up measurement (24 weeks after post-intervention measurement). Exercise adherence was prospectively measured via an exercise habituation diary during the follow-up period - specifically, we asked them to record practice rates for walking (≥2 days/week) and strength exercises (≥6 items for 2 days/week). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to obtain the CG's odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for adherence to walking and strength exercise adjusted for potential confounders (with NCG as the reference). Results: Although the adherence rate of walking exercise in the CG was significantly higher than that in the NCG (29.2%; P < 0.001), there was no significant difference in the adherence rate of strength exercise between the two groups (P = 0.199). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CG had significantly higher odds of adherence to walking exercise compared with the NCG (3.68 [1.57-8.60]). However, the odds of adherence to strength exercise did not significantly differ between the two groups (1.30 [0.52-3.26]). Conclusions: These results suggest that an exercise program targeting older married couples may be a useful strategy for maintaining walking adherence, even six months after the supervised program has ceased. A blinded randomized controlled trial will be needed to confirm this conclusion. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (Registered: 02/11/16) UMIN000024689.