A growing evidence base links individual lifestyle factors to physical performance in older age, but much less is known about their combined effects, or the impact of lifestyle change. In a group of 937 participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, we examined their number of lifestyle risk factors at 53 and 60–64 years in relation to their physical performance at 60–64, and the change in number of risk factors between these ages in relation to change in physical performance. At both assessments, information about lifestyle (physical activity, smoking, diet) was obtained via self-reports and height and weight were measured. Each participant’s number of lifestyle risk factors out of: obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m²); inactivity (no leisure time physical activity over previous month); current smoking; poor diet (diet quality score in bottom quarter of distribution) was determined at both ages. Physical performance: measured grip strength, chair rise and standing balance times at both ages and conditional change (independent of baseline) in physical performance outcomes from 53 to 60–64 were assessed. There were some changes in the pattern of lifestyle risk factors between assessments: 227 (24%) participants had fewer risk factors by age 60–64; 249 (27%) had more. Reductions in risk factors were associated with better physical performance at 60–64 and smaller declines over time (all p < 0.05); these associations were robust to adjustment. Strategies to support reduction in number of lifestyle risk factors around typical retirement age may have beneficial effects on physical performance in early older age.

越来越多的证据将个人生活方式因素与老年身体表现联系起来，但人们对它们的综合影响或生活方式改变的影响知之甚少。在 MRC 国家健康与发展调查的 937 名参与者中，我们检查了他们在 53 岁和 60-64 岁时生活方式风险因素的数量与他们 60-64 岁时身体表现的关系，以及风险因素数量的变化这些年龄之间的变化与身体机能的变化有关。在这两次评估中，有关生活方式的信息（体力活动、吸烟、饮食）都是通过自我报告获得的，并测量了身高和体重。每个参与者的生活方式危险因素数如下：肥胖（体重指数≥30 kg/m ² ）；不活动（上个月没有闲暇时间进行体力活动）；目前吸烟；在两个年龄段都确定了不良饮食（饮食质量得分位于分布的底部四分之一）。身体表现：测量两个年龄段的握力、椅子上升和站立平衡时间，并评估 53 岁至 60-64 岁身体表现结果的条件变化（独立于基线）。评估之间生活方式风险因素的模式发生了一些变化：227 名（24%）参与者在 60-64 岁时风险因素较少； 249 人（27%）拥有更多。风险因素的减少与 60-64 岁时身体表现的改善以及随着时间的推移下降幅度较小相关（所有p < 0.05）；这些关联对于调整来说是稳健的。支持减少典型退休年龄前后生活方式风险因素数量的策略可能对老年早期的身体机能产生有益影响。