earticle

영어

This study examined the association among cognitive function, physical fitness, and health status in healthy older women. Ninety-four females aged from 62 to 86 years (72.66±5.38 years) from community healthcare centers and an exercise club in Seoul, South Korea. Cognitive function was assessed using the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery. Physical performance comprised cardiorespiratory endurance, lower extremity strength, active balance ability, and walking speed. Health status included blood pressure and waist circumference. Multiple lin-ear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship among cognitive function, fitness components, and health status, with age and educational attainment as covariates. In the unadjusted model, attention was significantly associated with cardiovascular endurance (B=0.19, P<0.05). Memory was significantly associated with lower limb strength (B=0.77, P<0.05) and active balance ability (B=2.35, P<0.05). In the adjusted model, attention was significantly associated with car-diovascular endurance (B=0.15, P<0.05). Memory was significantly as-sociated with lower limb strength (B=0.87, P<0.05). In both models, cognitive function was not significantly associated with any health sta-tus variable. Though limited by a relatively small sample of female par-ticipants, who were healthy registrants of a community exercise pro-gram with normal cognitive function, the current study demonstrates that cognitive function is significantly associated with physical fitness, but not with health status, in healthy older women.