This study aims to investigate AGEs accumulation and its associations with lifestyle, body composition, physical activity, and HR-QOL in young healthy females using path analysis.
This cross-sectional observational study involved females aged 18–24 years (n = 100) and excluded participants with self-reported psychiatric disorders, central nervous system diseases, orthopedic conditions, or internal diseases. Study procedures were explained to all participants who gave written informed consent before participation. The institutional ethics committee (Ethics Committee Approval Number: 2303-33) approved the study protocol that also adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki. Data collection involved physical characteristics, skin autofluorescence of AGEs, dietary habits evaluated using a self-administered diet history questionnaire, body composition, physical activity measured with a 7-day accelerometer-based pedometer, and HR-QOL assessed with the 36-Item Short Form Survey. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and path analysis. Variables for the path analysis model were selected according to univariate analysis and previous research concerning AGEs and non-AGEs variables. Next, path analysis was conducted to investigate associations between AGEs and the selected variables, further calculating path coefficients. Model fit was evaluated with χ² tests, goodness of fit index (GFI), adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The criteria for model adoption were that the χ² test should not reject the null hypothesis (χ² value ≥ 5%), GFI and AGFI should be ≥0.9, and RMSEA should be 0.05. IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics version 24 and IBM SPSS Amos version 24 were used for analyses.
The path coefficients for each variable concerning AGEs were age (0.36), high-intensity exercise (−0.24), sucrose (0.09), fat-free mass index (0.09), and alcohol (0.06). The path coefficients for variables affecting HR-QOL from AGEs included the mental component summary score (−0.16) and physical component summary score (−0.08). The model fit was acceptable, with the χ² test not rejecting the null hypothesis (χ² value = 15.36, p = 0.64), and the fit indices meeting the criteria (GFI = 0.962, AGFI = 0.925, RMSEA 0.001).
The accumulation of AGEs in young healthy females is primarily correlated with age and vigorous physical activity, while negatively correlated with the mental and physical aspects of HR-QOL.
Determining the lifestyle associated with the accumulation of AGEs and clarifying their correlation with HR-QOL provide useful information for physical therapists in their decision-making process for health promotion in young healthy females. In the future, longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the relationships among the accumulation of AGEs, lifestyle, and HR-QOL in females.
Young healthy females
Path analysis
