Benefits of sustained physical activity from middle age to early old age on quality of life in early old age

This study aimed to examine changes in physical activity (PA) over time (2009–2017) in the same participants and to determine an association between changes in PA and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in early older adults (n = 994) using data from the Korea Health Panel Survey. HRQoL was measured using the EuroQol system, and the amount of PA was grouped into four activity levels: remained inactive, became inactive, became active, and remained active. The association of changes in PA over 8 years with HRQoL was examined using logistic regression analysis while controlling for socioeconomic and behavioral factors. Total PA decreased from 1859.72 ± 1760.01 MET-minutes in 2009 to 1264.80 ± 1251.14 MET-minutes in 2017 (P < 0.001). In 2017, 142 (14.3%) remained inactive, whereas 419 (42.2%) remained active. Participants who remained inactive in early old age were more likely to be in the lowest 10% HRQoL of the sample (odds ratio = 1.95, 95% confidence interval = 1.09–3.48). These findings indicate that health education and promotion must be prioritized for middle-aged adults, who are relatively inactive, so that they increase their current PA and improve their HRQoL to maximize the benefits of PA in old age.