Taiso practice and risk of functional disability and dementia among older adults in Japan: The JAGES cohort study

Background: Taiso is a Japanese term encompassing meanings akin to calisthenics. Taiso is a widely used exercise program in Japan but whether it prevents functional disability and dementia remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the association between practicing Taiso, especially focusing on the well-known Radio-Taiso, and functional disability and dementia in older adults in Japan. Methods: This population-based prospective cohort study used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). The participants were 18,016 people aged 65 years or older who resided in 19 municipalities in Japan and were not certified as needing long-term care at the start of follow-up. The outcomes were all functional disability, moderate-to-severe functional disability, and dementia, during an average of 5.3 years of follow-up. Four groups were created based on type of Taiso practice (None, Radio-Taiso only, Other Taiso only, or Both). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, equivalized income, educational attainment, household composition, employment status, diseases requiring treatment, activities of daily living, depression, cognitive impairment, and walking duration. Results: The analysis included data from 11,219 individuals. The mean age of respondents was 74.2 years and 46.3% were men. Compared with the no-practice group, the Other Taiso only group showed a notably decreased risk of all functional disability (hazard ratio [95% CI] 0.87 [0.78-0.96]). The Other Taiso only group was associated with a significant reduction in the hazard ratio for moderate-to-severe functional disability (0.81 [0.70-0.93]). Decreases in the hazard ratio for dementia were also observed in the Radio-Taiso only (0.82 [0.68-0.9998]) and Other Taiso only groups (0.81 [0.70-0.93]). Conclusions: Practicing Taiso, including Radio-Taiso, may reduce the risk of dementia in older adults, while practicing other types of Taiso may reduce the risk of functional disability.