Relationship between Physical Fitness, Obesity and Depression Index in Male and Female Elderly

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between depression index, physical fitness level and obesity. The subject of this study were total 258 (107 males, 151 female) over the 64 years old. For test physical fitness level, all participants were assessed senior fitness test and K-GDS questionnaire was used to confirm the depression index of the subjects. Independent samples t-test was used to compare physical fitness level and depression index. correlation between level of physical fitness and depression index was assessed using Pearson"s correlation coefficient. Finally, using the logistic regression analysis was used to predict the relationship between obesity and depression index. The results were following : All fitness levels except flexibility, balance and cardiovascular endurance, men higher than women, while depression was higher women than man. The correlation between most fitness level and depression index was found in both male and female groups. Moreover, in the female group, the depression index decreased 0.3-fold when the body mass index was normal. Taken together, our results suggest that physical fitness levels and obesity in the elderly were closely related to the index of depression.