Objective  To evaluate physical activity level and quality of life (QOL) and their influencing factors in elder Chinese and Japanese people.

  Methods  Cluster sampling method was used to select a total of 658 people aged from 60 to 85 years in Shenyang city of China and Higashi-hiroshima city of Japan. Questionnaire surveys were used to collect health condition, physical activity and QOL.

  Results  Male old Chinese reported a lower physical activity level (metabolic equivalent of energy MET minutes/week) (meanM = 2 856, percentile 25P₂₅ = 1 848, percentile 75P₇₅ = 4 305) than that of male old Japanese (M = 3 294, P₂₅ = 1 596, P₇₅ = 8 359); while female old Chinese reported a higher physical activity level (M = 3 189, P₂₅ = 2 052, P₇₅ = 4 424) than that of female old Japanese (M = 2 448, P₂₅ = 986, P₇₅ = 4 651) (all P < 0.05). Chinese old people showed higher scores of QOL (81.03 ± 8.68 vs. 71.79 ± 10.82), physical component summary (78.44 ± 12.43 vs. 73.57 ± 12.12), and mental component summary (83.55 ± 8.04 vs. 70.07 ± 11.37) than those of Japanese old people (all P < 0.001). Scores of physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, and mental health in Chinese old people were all higher than those in Japanese old people but the scores of role physical and role emotional were lower (all P < 0.05). The Chinese old people suffering from chronic diseases, being female, and reporting lower level of physical activity had significantly poorer QOL (P < 0.001), while the Japanese old people suffering from chronic diseases and reporting lower level of physical activity had significantly poorer QOL (P < 0.001).

  Conclusion  Physical activity level in male old Chinese is lower than in male old Japanese, while physical activity level in female old Chinese is higher than in female old Japanese. Chinese old people had a higher QOL than Japanese old people. Chronic diseases and insufficient physical activity decrease QOL in both Chinese and Japanese old people.