Characteristics and measurement of physical fitness in older adults

The problems related to an aging population have been exacerbated and are becoming more serious in China. The elder commonly suffer from chronic diseases which result in not only negative effects on their health conditions and the quality of life, but also heavy financial burdens to both family and society. Physical fitness assessment plays an important role in early identification of factors influencing health. Although considerable improvement has been made, indexes and indicators of physical assessment for the elderly still need to be elucidated. In this review, we discussed different methods used for the measurement of physical conditions among China's aged population. Our object is to provide scientific basis for predicting, preventing chronic diseases among the aged population and guiding actions on ageing in China.