Background: It is unknown whether moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in bouts of <10 minutes protects against disability risks or if only 10 minutes bouts of MVPA is critical. Additionally, it is unclear whether light physical activity (LPA) or its accumulation patterns is associated with functional disability.Methods: A total of 1,687 adults aged ≥65 years and without functional disability at baseline were followed up for 6 years. Functional disability was identified using the database of Japan’s Long-term Care Insurance System. Physical activity was measured using a tri-axial accelerometer secured to the waist.Results: Functional disability was identified in 274 participants (16.2%). When examined as quartiles, higher levels of all MVPA measures were dose-dependently associated with lower risk of functional disability. Associations of MVPA in ≥10 and <10 minutes bouts remained significant in a mutually adjusted model. Neither total LPA nor LPA in bout of ≥10 minutes, but LPA in bouts of <10 minutes was associated with functional disability. Analyses using restricted cubic spline functions showed that associations of all MVPA measures and LPA in bouts of .05). The hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence interval [CI]) for functional disability per 10 minutes increment of total MVPA and LPA in bout of <10 minutes were 0.86 (0.81–0.92) and 0.96 (0.93–0.99), respectively.Conclusions: Higher MVPA, regardless accumulation patterns, or LPA in bouts of <10 minutes was associated with lower risk of functional disability in a linear dose–response manner in older adults.

To examine the association between physical frailty and risk of needing long-term care, and compare the predictive value and clinical usefulness of a simple frailty scale (FRAIL) with that of the original Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) criteria.

Background: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe the patterns and levels of sedentary time and physical activity (PA) in a general Japanese population.Methods: A total of 1,740 community-dwelling Japanese adults aged ≥40 years participated in this study. Sedentary time and PA were assessed for 7 consecutive days using a tri-axial accelerometer. Daily patterns and levels of sedentary time and PA were calculated by sex, age group (40–64, 65–74, and ≥75 years), and body mass index (BMI; <25 and ≥25 kg/m2).Results: Participants spent half of their waking time being sedentary, 32.7% of which was accumulated in prolonged bouts ≥30 minutes, versus only 54.4 minutes/day (7% of waking time) as moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (11.8 minutes/day in bouts ≥10 minutes). In addition to total sedentary time, men had longer prolonged sedentary bouts and fewer breaks per sedentary hour than women. Similar trends were observed in participants aged ≥75 years and those with a higher BMI (≥25 kg/m2) compared to those with a younger age and lower BMI. Moreover, participants aged ≥75 years and those with a higher BMI accumulated fewer MVPA minutes in bouts ≥10 minutes. Only 34.8% of the population met the recommended level of ≥150 minutes/week MVPA in bouts ≥10 minutes.Conclusion: Japanese adults accumulated a large proportion of total sedentary time in prolonged bouts but few minutes in sustained bouts of MVPA, and few of them met the current PA guideline.

This study compared the physical fitness level and weight status of children and adolescents in China and Japan. Children and adolescents aged 7–18 years were recruited (China: n = 5660; Japan: n = 5660). Physical fitness was assessed using seven core items—grip strength, 30-s sit-ups, standing long jump, sit-and-reach, 20-s repeated straddling, 20-m shuttle run test, and 50-m dash. A physical fitness index (PFI) was calculated by adding all items’ Z-scores. We conducted comparisons of PFI and its distribution, each physical fitness item, and weight status for individuals from China and Japan across all ages. The PFI was lower in China than in Japan for all age groups, with an especially large difference at age 18 years for boys (a difference of 9.05) and girls (a difference of 9.10) (p < 0.001). The same result was seen for the seven items. The PFI distribution for children and adolescents was more disperse among those in Japan than among those in China. Obesity prevalence was 2.84 times higher in China than in Japan. An inverted U-shaped relationship was observed between physical fitness and nutritional status. Children and adolescents showed markedly lower physical fitness and higher obesity prevalence in China than in Japan.

Children’s motor skills can be fully developed only by the appropriate stimulation of physical activities and the environment, and the poor development of motor skills greatly increases the risk of cognitive impairment, obesity, and movement coordination disorder. This study aimed to examine the effects of Chinese martial arts on the motor skills of preschool children aged 5–6 years through a randomized controlled trial. A total of 87 children aged 5–6 years served as participants in a martial arts sensory teaching group (MAST, n = 29), a martial arts traditional teaching group (MATT, n = 29), and a free activity group (FA, n = 29). The interventions were conducted twice weekly for a total of 10 weeks, with each session lasting 30 min. Children’s motor skills were assessed before and after the intervention using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2). The results indicated that the balance index scores in the MAST (p < 0.001) and MATT (p = 0.014) groups were significantly higher than those in the FA and that the MAST score was significantly higher than the MATT (p = 0.004). Meanwhile, the MAST was significantly higher in total scores on motor skills when compared to the FA (p = 0.039), and the MAST showed significantly higher scores on manual dexterity when compared to both the MATT (p = 0.021) and FA (p = 0.011). Chinese martial arts can significantly improve the balance ability of preschool children, and the MAST method was found to be better than that of the MATT. Meanwhile, the MAST had good potential for the development of preschool children’s manual dexterity and their overall level of motor skills.