Table 2.
Physical and aerobic strength and balance according to adherence to the Mediterranean Diet category.
| Variable | All | Low Adherence (0–2) | Medium Adherence (3–4) | High Adherence (5–9) | p for Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-frail | 13 (11.1) | 5 (20.8) | 6 (9.7) | 2 (6.5) | 0.2115 |
| Frail | 3(2.6) | 1 (4.2) | 2(3.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0.5568 |
| Grip strength 1 | −0.53(0.88) | −0.93 (0.82) | −0.51 (0.89) | −0.29 (0.84) | 0.0263 |
| Balance 2 | 52.59 ± 5.02 | 51.25 ± 6.35 | 52.53 ± 4.96 | 53.52 ± 3.86 | 0.2568 |
| Balance category 2 | |||||
| Increased risk of falls | 2 (1.7) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0.0246 |
| Needs a walking aid for safe walking | 11 (9.4) | 6 (25.0) | 2 (3.2) | 3 (9.7) | |
| No increased risk of falls | 104 (88.9) | 18 (75.0) | 58 (93.5) | 28 (90.3) | |
| FR 3 | 29.7 ± 6.3 | 27.7 ± 6.5 | 29.8 ± 6.4 | 31.1 ± 5.9 | 0.1716 |
| FSST 4 | 12.08 ± 4.57 | 13.34 ± 6.83 | 12.22 ± 4.22 | 11.15 ± 3.15 | 0.2576 |
| 6-min walk 5 | 458.4 ± 114.0 | 409.8 ± 143.5 | 465.6 ± 107.3 | 477.4 ± 95.4 | 0.0658 |
| 30-s chair stand | 11.6 ± 4.3 | 10.6 ± 4.9 | 11.9 ± 4.3 | 11.8 ± 3.7 | 0.4612 |
| Timed-Get-Up-and-Go | 7.59 ± 3.65 | 8.31 ± 3.20 | 7.78 ± 4.40 | 6.73 ± 1.90 | 0.2512 |
| 10-min walk (seconds) | 6.77 ± 5.67 | 7.49 ± 3.61 | 6.98 ± 7.47 | 5.90 ± 1.34 | 0.5615 |
| 10-min walk (speed m-s) | 1.70 ± 0.45 | 1.54 ± 0.51 | 1.73 ± 0.46 | 1.77 ± 0.37 | 0.1322 |
Data are shown N (%) for counts and Mean ± SD for continuous data. 1 Grip strength was assessed using the Jammer dynamometer; presented are z-scores of the sex standardized scores. 2 Balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Scores below 36 indicate an increased risk for falls; scores between 37 and 45 indicate need of a walking aid in order to walk in a safe manner; >45 no increased risk of falls (independent walker). 3 Functional Reach (FR), a sub-test of the BERG Balance Scale, presented as distance in cm. 4 Four Square Step Test (FSST) presented as time in seconds to complete the task. 5 Presented are z-scores of the age and sex standardized scores in meters.