A prospective study of the effects of regular sports practice on mortality among the elderly in a rural community in Japan: An 8‐year follow‐up study

Background:  Regular exercise and sports practice are considered effective to maintain the health and quality of life of the elderly, and even to decrease mortality. The present study aimed to clarify the relation between regular sports practice and relatively long-term mortality among the community-dwelling elderly and to determine whether regular sports practice is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality. Methods:  In  a population-based prospective study, the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Study on Aging (TMIG-LISA), 748 community-dwelling persons aged 65 and older who participated in the baseline survey in August 1992 were followed annually for 8 years with respect to mortality. Results:  Excluding 22 early deaths that occurred during the first two years of follow-up, a total of 158 deaths (83 males and 75 females) were confirmed during the 8-year follow-up period. Univariate analysis showed that subjects practicing sports regularly a had significantly higher score for instrumental activities of daily living (I-ADL), higher alcohol drinking rate, and faster usual walking speed (P < 0.001). To determine the independent risk factors for mortality, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted using sex, age, regular sports practicing habit, current smoking habit, current alcohol drinking habit, I-ADL (from the subscale of TMIG-Index of Competence), and usual walking speed. Regular sports practice did not reduce the risk of death, while sex (P < 0.001), age (P < 0.001), I-ADL (P < 0.05), and usual walking speed (P < 0.001) were identified as significant independent predictors for all-cause mortality among the elderly people living in the rural community. Conclusion:  Regular sports practice has no significant effect on mortality; however, keeping a higher walking speed in daily life is a strongly relevant capability for regular sports practice and a significant predictor of prolonged active live expectancy.