Using women-only fitness club and functional disability: a cross-sectional study using propensity score matching

Arch Public Health. 2025 Apr 25;83(1):114. doi: 10.1186/s13690-025-01601-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As the aging population grows, identifying effective interventions to achieve healthy ageing is crucial. Specific environments, such as Curves, the women-only fitness club (WOFC), may provide a supportive setting for older women to engage in physical activities that promote overall healthy ageing. This study aims to compare the functional disability prediction score between WOFC members and control group in older adults.

METHODS: Our study design was cross-sectional design. We applied propensity score matching to control for 9 potential confounders, including age, sociodemographic factors, health-related factors. A total of 6,058 participants were matched (3,029 WOFC memberships and 3,029 control groups from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study). The functional disability prediction scores we used can predict the risk of functional disability within three years for community-dwelling older adults without activity of daily living limitations.

RESULTS: After propensity score matching, the covariates of the two groups were well balanced. The average age after propensity score matching was 72.4 for WOFC members and 72.7 for the control group. The average functional disability prediction score was 0.53 points lower for WOFC members than for the control group (p =.005).

CONCLUSIONS: WOFC members had lower scores on the functional disability prediction score related to healthy aging. Future studies should investigate the long-term impact of such programs.

PMID:40281616 | DOI:10.1186/s13690-025-01601-8