The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in physical fitness between aged gateball players (mean age =72.4yrs.) and people not engaged in exercise (mean age=72.4yrs.), ranging in age from 59 to 89 years.
The sample sizes are as follows ; gateball players : male=68, female=36/people not engaged in exercise : male =21, female =52.
A total of 11 tests representing each physical fitness domain were selected, considering aged people's physical condition.
These tests and the questionnaire on their health and exercise participation were administered to them.
A two-way analysis of variance was used to determine the differences of 11 physical fitness elements.
The results can be summarized as follows:
1. Aged gateball players are more self-confident about their health and physical fitness than people not engaged in exercise with a similar age. The latter tend to complain about their health conditions more frequently.
2. Male gateball players showed significant higher scores in vertical jump and sit-andreach tests, and female gateball players in a tapping test, as compared with people not engaged in exercise.
Overall, gateball players seemed to be healthier and to possess better physical fitness.
3. Although a significant difference in standing height was found between gateball players and people not engaged in exercise in females, this was considered to depend mainly on the difference of standing posture.
4. From examining correlations between the age and physical fitness elements, gateball exercise seemed to be useful to keep up aged people's health and to prevent their physical fitness from declining.

The purpose of this study was to propose useful ADLs (activities of daily living) and scales to estimate ADL ability on community older people from the viewpoints of aging, physical fitness level, and interrelationship among ADL. The survey constructing of 15 ADL items and physical fitness test of Ministry of Education, Science and Culture were carried out on 458 older people. Each ADL item was constructed with 3 level scales.
As the results of this study, the following 12 ADLs were proposed as useful ADL items; in the locomotion domain, jumping across a ditch, walking, running, up and down stairs, and transfer; in the manipulation domain, taking bedding in and out, buttoning a shirt; in stability domain, standing in the bus or train, dressing while standing (trousers), standing on one foot with eyes open; in the posture-change domain, sitting up, standing up from the floor. These items were significantly related to age and physical fitness elements contributed largely to achievement of each ADL. Since significant high correlation was found between the index using 12 ADL items and that using 15 items, it is considered that the 12 items scale can account for the variance corresponded enough to that of 15 items scale, and that the new index is practical and simple.
In further research, it will be required to examine validity of each ADL item and index by using more large sample, and to clarify the relation to various factors influenced to ADL ability level.