What makes men more active than women? The influence of physical fitness – body composition, muscular strength and endurance
As we go about our daily activities, we carry our body mass with our muscles, which in turn require oxygen transported by the body’s cardiorespiratory system. The basic components of physical fitness – body composition, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness – therefore influence the amount of daily activity we are capable of.
As a person ages, their muscle mass decreases and the ability to transport oxygen to working muscles weakens. These changes thus affect a person’s ability to maintain physical activity as they age.
“If a person finds movement increasingly strenuous, they are likely to move less,” says Academy Research Fellow Laura Karavirta from the Ģֱ. “Physical fitness describes our ability to perform daily physical tasks. If our level of fitness is reduced, daily tasks cause more fatigue.”
The study showed that older men have less fat tissue relative to body mass, as well as better muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness than women do. Understanding these underlying factors helps assess daily movement in relation to individual capabilities. Energy expenditure due to activity was about 20% higher for men compared to women.
Many studies measure activity as absolute energy expenditure. When reading research news and physical activity guidelines, it is important to understand that the same goal may not suit everyone.
“Our study helps researchers to investigate the independent health effects of physical activity and physical fitness,” Karavirta adds. “I hope that in the future we can provide more individualized guidelines for health-enhancing physical activity.”
“For some people, walking may be intensive enough, while others may need more vigorous types of physical activity to improve their condition.”
The study is part of the AGNES project funded by the European Research Council and the Research Council of Finland. About 400 men and women at the ages of 75, 80, and 85 participated in the activity measurements. Activity was measured in everyday life around the clock by collecting acceleration and heart rate data, from which physical activity energy expenditure was calculated in collaboration with the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. The study was also funded by the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation and the Juho Vainio Foundation.
Original publication:
Julkaisutiedot
Karavirta L, Aittokoski T, Pynnönen K, Rantalainen T, Westgate K, Gonzales T, Palmberg L, Neuvonen J, Lipponen JA, Turunen K, Nikander R, Portegijs E, Rantanen T, Brage S. (2025) Physical determinants of daily physical activity in older men and women. PLoS One 20(2): e0314456.
More information:
Laura Karavirta
0408055041
laura.i.karavirta@jyu.fi
