Association between Travel Distance from Residence to Community-Based Activity Sites, Life-Space Mobility, and Physical Fitness and Motor Function in Older Adult Females in China

Ke Wu^1, , Zhonglin Li², Xiaohao Li² and Hiroki Sugiura^{3, 4}

¹Graduate School of Social System Engineering, Fukui University of Technology, Fukui City, Japan

²Faculty of Physical Education, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province, China

³Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Fukui University of Technology, Fukui City, Japan

⁴FUT Wellness & Sports Science Center, Fukui University of Technology, Fukui City, Japan

Cite this paper:
Ke Wu, Zhonglin Li, Xiaohao Li and Hiroki Sugiura. Association between Travel Distance from Residence to Community-Based Activity Sites, Life-Space Mobility, and Physical Fitness and Motor Function in Older Adult Females in China. Journal of Physical Activity Research. 2025; 10(1):43-51. doi: 10.12691/jpar-10-1-6

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the associations between travel distance from the residence to a regularly attended community facility, subjective life-space, and physical fitness and motor function among community-dwelling older adult females in China. Overall, 352 females aged ≥65 (70.6 ± 5.4) years living in Ji’an City were categorized into three age groups: 65–69 (group 65), 70–74 (group 70), and ≥75 years (group 75). Travel distance was calculated as the shortest walking route from each participant’s residence to the farthest regularly attended location using ArcGIS and classified into four groups: 0 m (0 group), 1–399 m (<400 group), 400–799 m (<800 group), and ≥800 m (≥800 group). Evaluation items encompassed life-space assessment (LSA), travel distance, height, weight, hand grip strength (HGS), leg grip strength (LGS), one-leg standing time with eyes open (OLS), functional reach (FR), 10-m maximal walking time (10-m walking), cross-step moving on four spots (CSF), and hip displacement (Hip-D). Pearson’s correlation coefficients revealed significant but weak correlations (r = 0.17–0.21) between travel distance and LSA or multiple physical indicators in group 65. In group 70, only the 10-m walking time demonstrated a significant correlation (r = −0.249), whereas group 75 exhibited significant correlations with LSA, weight, OLS, FR, and 10-m walking time (r = 0.25–0.39). Two-way analysis of variance (age × distance) indicated significant interaction effects for LSA and weight. In each age group, participants with ≥800-m travel distances tended to show higher physical fitness and motor performance scores, with particularly significant differences observed in groups 65 and 70. These findings suggest that maintaining a travel and activity radius of >800 m can contribute to preserving and improving physical fitness and motor performance among older adults aged ≥65 years.

Keywords:
travel distance community-based activity sites life-space mobility physical fitness and motor function older adult females

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