LE3 .A278 2015

2015

Dogra, Shilpa

Acadia University

Bachelor of Kinesiology

Honours

Kinesiology

Kinesiology

Successful aging has become an important topic of research as the prevalence of older adults in the global population begins to rise. Successful aging is not simply the absence of disease, but instead, is a model that involves physiological, psychological, and sociological well-being. A model of successful aging proposed by Young et al. (2009) outlined that presence of chronic conditions, presence of functional limitations, cognitive function, emotional vitality, geriatric depression, and satisfaction with life as important components in measuring successful aging. Each of these components influences the other, and one must be “successful” or healthy in each area to be considered to be aging successfully. There are many established correlates of successful aging, including age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity. Previous research that has focused on the role of physical activity in successful aging has found a positive association between the two variables. Unfortunately, physical activity is susceptible to measurement bias. However, a higher level of physical activity has been shown to be associated with a higher cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness is the gold standard in measuring a person’s physical capacity, and to date has not been considered when studying correlates of successful aging in older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and successful aging in older adults. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured in the laboratory using an indirect submaximal treadmill test and questionnaires were used to measure successful aging in a sample of older adults aged 61 to 75 (n = 25). Results indicate a strong association between self-reported weekly aerobic physical activity and satisfaction with life; however, data on the association between successful aging and cardiorespiratory fitness were in the opposite direction expected. Future research should use direct maximal exercise testing to assess the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and successful aging.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1205