Background: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of locomotive syndrome (LS) risk in age groups using the LS risk test proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Based on this, this study identified the lifestyle-related signs that lead to LS, by clarifying the association between LS risk and lifestyle factors.
Methods: A total of 728 individuals aged 20-91 years who were without specific mobility disorders were evaluated. Participants were asked to perform the LS risk test and complete a self-administered original questionnaire survey for this study. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to examine the relationships of sex and age with LS. The prevalence of LS by sex and age was compared using the Chi-squared test or Student's t-test, as appropriate. The Mantel-Haenszel test was used to examine the relationship of each component of the lifestyle factors.
Results: Overall, 36.4% of males and 49.1% of females were classified into the LS group; the prevalence of LS was significantly higher in females than males (p < .001). The prevalence of LS tended to increase with age in both males and females (p < .05). As for health condition, pain in the locomotive organs, knees, back, and hip joints was significantly associated with LS (p < .05). Of the lifestyle-related diseases, only hypertension (p < .05) was significantly associated with LS, and drug treatment was significantly associated with LS (p < .05). As for lifestyle, anxiety about physical fitness, self-assessed poor health, irregular dietary habits, and lack of exercise were also associated with LS (p < .05).
Conclusions: Interventions to prevent LS are important during its early stages, especially for females, and lifestyle-related signs of LS, such as pain in the locomotive organs, lifestyle-related disease, drug treatment, and a lower subjective evaluation of health must not be overlooked.
Copyright © 2019 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.