Table 3.

Summary of age-related changes in measures of physical function across selected groups. Italics indicate findings from an industrialized population (UK). Bold type indicates findings different from those seen in industrialized populations.

group	subsistence	measure	age-related decline?	reference
UK	industrialized	physical activity levels	yes	[33]
		walking endurance	yes, after 60	[34]
		grip strength	yes	[35]
Hadza	hunter–gatherers	physical activity levels	noa	[28]
			yes, but still high at older ages	this study
		walking endurance	no
		grip strength	yes
Pokot	pastoralists	physical activity levelsb	yes, but still high at older ages
		walking endurance	yes
		grip strength	yes (M)/no (F)
Ache	hunter–gatherers	grip strength	yes	[27]
		VO2maxc	yes (M)/no (F)
Shuar	forager horticulturalists	physical activity levels	no	[63]
Tsimane	forager horticulturalists	physical activity levels	yes (M)/no (F)	[64]
		grip strength	yes	[25]
		VO2max	yes, but slower rate of decline compared with a Canadian sample	[26]

^aRaichlen and colleagues [28] used heart rate monitors to measure average daily time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in Hadza hunter–gatherers and did not find evidence of age-related declines in activity levels.

^bThe physical activity data presented in this paper have been previously published by the authors [29].

^cVO₂max (maximal oxygen uptake) is a measure of aerobic capacity and is often used as a proxy for endurance.