Page 53 - RUFARS 2021 - Proceedings

ISSN: 2659-2029
Proceedings of the 4 Research Symposium of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
th
University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
August 26, 2021

OP 18

The Role of Physical Activity on Physical Fitness and Functional Ability in
Community-dwelling Older People in Western Sri Lanka: A Structural
Equation Model

Wickramarachchi B. , Siop S. , Perera B. , Perera R.
1#
4
2
3
1 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences,
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
3 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
4 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sri Jayawardanapura, Sri Lanka

# Corresponding author: biwickramarachchi@ahs.ruh.ac.lk

Background: The role of physical activity in enhancing physical fitness and functional ability
of older people in upper income countries is well-researched. However, studies on interactions
between physical activity (PA), strength, balance and functional status of the community-
dwelling older people in low and middle-income countries are limited.

Objectives: To test the pathways in how the PA acts on improving physical fitness and
functional abilities of community-dwelling older people in Sri Lanka.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was done involving 880 community-dwelling older people
(60 years and above) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Blair model was used to test the influence of
PA on strength, anthropometrical measures, balance and functional status. Structural Equation
Modelling (SEM) was evaluated using AMOS software.

Results: The final SEM model included five latent factors and 14 co-variances. Goodness of Fit
Index (GFI), Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI), Comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-
Lewis Index (TLI), Normal Fit Index (NFI), Incremental fit index (IFI) and Root Mean Square
Error of Approximation (RMSEA) values of the model were 0.95, 0.93, 0.93, 0.91, 0.92, 0.93
and 0.05, respectively, indicating a good model fit. Physical activity and age directly affect
strength (β=0.61) and anthropometrical parameters (β=-0.41), and indirectly affect physical
functions (β=-0.35) and Balance (β=0.52) (p< 0.05). Results suggest that strength is the direct
contributor for good balance and physical functions in older people. There was a significant
correlation between strength and age to the expected direction (β=-0.36, p<0.05).

Conclusions: Strength is the main contributor of PA. Muscle-strengthening PAs support
enhancing the balance and functional performances in older people. Such physical activity
programs need to be promoted among the community-dwelling older people in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Blair model, Older people, Physical activity, Physical fitness

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