Functional fitness responses to multicomponent aquatic exercise and treadmill walking in women aged 80 years and older with obesity: A 24-week controlled comparative study
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Sport Science, School of Human Ecology, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea
- 2Research Institute of Physical Education & Sports Science, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea
- 3Department of Molecular Biology, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea
- 4Department of Physical Education, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Objective: To compare changes in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived body composition and functional fitness following 24 weeks of aquarobic or treadmill exercise in women aged 80 years and older with obesity, and to explore whether change in lean mass was associated with change in 30-s chair stand performance.
Methods: This 24-week nonrandomized controlled study included 135 community-dwelling women aged 80 years and older assigned to a control group, a multicomponent aquarobic exercise group, or a treadmill walking group, with 45 participants in each group. Both exercise groups completed supervised low-intensity exercise three times per week for 24 weeks. Body composition was assessed using DXA, and functional fitness was evaluated using handgrip strength, 30-s chair stand, 30-s arm curl, chair sit-and-reach, back scratch, 8-Foot Up-and-Go, and 2-min step tests. Intervention-associated changes were examined using linear mixed-effects models, with baseline-, age-, and BMI-adjusted ANCOVA-type sensitivity analyses. Exploratory association analyses examined whether change in lean mass statistically explained change in 30-s chair stand performance.
Results: Adiposity-related outcomes, including fat mass and percentage body fat, did not show consistent between-group differences versus the control group. The primary linear mixed-effects models did not demonstrate statistically significant group × time interactions for lean mass, fat-free mass, or bone mineral content. However, baseline-, age-, and BMI-adjusted ANCOVA sensitivity analyses showed higher adjusted 24-week lean mass and fat-free mass values in the aquarobic group than in the control group, whereas the corresponding treadmill exercise findings and bone mineral content were attenuated. Both exercise groups showed more favorable functional outcomes than the control group, although the response pattern differed across measures. The 30-s chair stand, 8-Foot Up-and-Go, and 2-min step tests showed clear within-group improvements in both exercise groups. Handgrip strength was preserved in the aquarobic group and showed an attenuated decline in the treadmill group relative to the marked decline in the control group. Flexibility-related outcomes primarily reflected attenuation of decline or relative preservation rather than uniform absolute improvement.
Conclusions: Under the low-intensity, safety-oriented 24-week exercise prescription evaluated in this study, functional fitness outcomes demonstrated more consistent functional adaptation than adiposity-related body composition outcomes in women aged 80 years and older with obesity. These functional responses were not statistically explained by DXA-derived lean mass change alone.
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BibTeX
@article{chun2026functional,
title = {{Functional fitness responses to multicomponent aquatic exercise and treadmill walking in women aged 80 years and older with obesity: A 24-week controlled comparative study}},
author = {Sung-Wook Chun and Jae-Hyeok Jang and Jun-Ho Seong and Jae-Woo Jang and Hyeon-U Song and Min Jin Song and Ki-Hoon Han and Na-Young An},
journal = {Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jesf.2026.200530},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2026.200530},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Functional fitness responses to multicomponent aquatic exercise and treadmill walking in women aged 80 years and older with obesity: A 24-week controlled comparative study
AU - Sung-Wook Chun
AU - Jae-Hyeok Jang
AU - Jun-Ho Seong
AU - Jae-Woo Jang
AU - Hyeon-U Song
AU - Min Jin Song
AU - Ki-Hoon Han
AU - Na-Young An
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness
DO - 10.1016/j.jesf.2026.200530
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2026.200530
AB - Objective: To compare changes in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived body composition and functional fitness following 24 weeks of aquarobic or treadmill exercise in women aged 80 years and older with obesity, and to explore whether change in lean mass was associated with change in 30-s chair stand performance. Methods: This 24-week nonrandomized controlled study included 135 community-dwelling women aged 80 years and older assigned to a control group, a multicomponent aquarobic exercise group, or a treadmill walking group, with 45 participants in each group. Both exercise groups completed supervised low-intensity exercise three times per week for 24 weeks. Body composition was assessed using DXA, and functional fitness was evaluated using handgrip strength, 30-s chair stand, 30-s arm curl, chair sit-and-reach, back scratch, 8-Foot Up-and-Go, and 2-min step tests. Intervention-associated changes were examined using linear mixed-effects models, with baseline-, age-, and BMI-adjusted ANCOVA-type sensitivity analyses. Exploratory association analyses examined whether change in lean mass statistically explained change in 30-s chair stand performance. Results: Adiposity-related outcomes, including fat mass and percentage body fat, did not show consistent between-group differences versus the control group. The primary linear mixed-effects models did not demonstrate statistically significant group × time interactions for lean mass, fat-free mass, or bone mineral content. However, baseline-, age-, and BMI-adjusted ANCOVA sensitivity analyses showed higher adjusted 24-week lean mass and fat-free mass values in the aquarobic group than in the control group, whereas the corresponding treadmill exercise findings and bone mineral content were attenuated. Both exercise groups showed more favorable functional outcomes than the control group, although the response pattern differed across measures. The 30-s chair stand, 8-Foot Up-and-Go, and 2-min step tests showed clear within-group improvements in both exercise groups. Handgrip strength was preserved in the aquarobic group and showed an attenuated decline in the treadmill group relative to the marked decline in the control group. Flexibility-related outcomes primarily reflected attenuation of decline or relative preservation rather than uniform absolute improvement. Conclusions: Under the low-intensity, safety-oriented 24-week exercise prescription evaluated in this study, functional fitness outcomes demonstrated more consistent functional adaptation than adiposity-related body composition outcomes in women aged 80 years and older with obesity. These functional responses were not statistically explained by DXA-derived lean mass change alone.
SN - 1728-869X
SN - 2226-5104
ER -