Physical fitness of 900 volunteers over 60 years of age were analyzed using a 6-item battery test to obtain fundamental data on the fitness status of the aged Japanese. The test battery consisted of stepping, vertical jump, grip strength, breath holding, body flexion and one-leg balancing, and could be performed safely with relatively mild physical stress in the elderly after simple screening by measurement of resting blood pressure and oral check on mobility problems of the knee and the hip. Males showed significantly higher values in vertical jump, grip strength and breath holding, while females showed significantly higher values in body flexion. There were no sex differences in stepping and one-leg balancing. Lowing trend was found in the score with age in all items except breath holding, but the extent of the reduction differed among the measure elements of fitness. Most of measured items showed significant correlations each other. The values obtained with this test are considered to be useful for future analysis of the fitness of aged people and also to determine the exercise appropriate for them.

Aerobic exercise is known to reduce pulse wave velocity (PWV), which reflects arterial stiffness. However, aerobic exercise has a depressor effect, and PWV strongly depends on blood pressure (BP). Therefore, improvement of PWV with aerobic exercise may have an indirect effect on reducing BP. In this study, the relationship between changes in BP and regional PWV measured by oscillometric and tonometry sensors before and after exercise therapy emphasizing aerobic exercise was evaluated in 46 elderly people receiving outpatient treatment for lifestyle-related diseases (7 males and 39 females, mean age : 68 years). In all subjects, BP and PWV measurements were performed before and after exercise therapy. PWV was measured between the brachium and ankle (baPWV), between the heart and femoral artery (hfPWV), and between the femoral artery and ankle (faPWV). During 6 months of exercise therapy, BP, baPWV, hfPWV and faPWV decreased significantly. By multiple regression analysis, the changes in systolic BP were extracted as factors correlated with changes in baPWV and faPWV. The changes in baPWV (r=0.639, p<0.01) and faPWV (r=0.649, p<0.01) correlated significantly with changes in systolic BP. However, changes in hfPWV were not extracted as a factor correlated with changes in systolic BP (r=0.228, p=n. s). In conclusion, exercise therapy emphasizing aerobic exercise was suggested to reduce the stiffness of both the lower limb artery (peripheral artery) and the aorta (central artery). Peripheral arterial stiffness improved concurrently with a reduction in BP as a result of exercise therapy ; but there is a possibility that the improvement of central arterial stiffness is not dependent on reducing BP.