Relationship between sleep quality and physical function in community-dwelling older adults: Exploring mediating factors through covariance structure analysis

<p>【Aim】 The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between subjective sleep quality and physical function, and explore the mediating factors of psychological function and physical activity.【Methods】 A cross-sectional analysis was conducted. Data from 573 community-dwelling older individuals (mean age 74.1 ± 6.4 years, 61.8% women) who participated in a health check survey (Tarumizu Study 2019) were analyzed. Using covariance structure analysis, an optimal model was constructed with subjective sleep quality as the starting point and physical function as the ultimate outcome. The model fit was examined separately for men and women. A hypothetical model was established with latent variables for subjective sleep quality, physical function, psychological function, and physical activity. Model fit indices, including CMIN/DF, GFI, AGFI, CFI, and RMSEA, were used to assess the goodness of fit.【Results】 For men, a well-fitting model that met statistical significance was not obtained. Conversely, for women, the model (CMIN/DF = 1.592, GFI = 0.964, AGFI = 0.944, CFI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.041) achieved a statistically significant level, indicating that subjective sleep quality was related to psychological function and indirectly related to physical function through the mediating factor of physical activity.【Conclusions】 In community-dwelling older women, poor subjective sleep quality suggests a decline in psychological function, leading to a decrease in physical activity and ultimately contributing to a decline in physical function.</p>