Physical activity in older adults: A cross sectional study

Objective (s): 

Aging is one of the most important anthropological phenomena of the 21st century. Thus due to various benefits of physical activity for health and fitness, it considers being one of the most important factors in healthy aging. This study aimed to investigate physical activity and its determinants in older adults.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 393 older adults in Mazandaran, Iran, using a multi-stage sampling method. Inclusion criteria included elderly men and women over 60 years of age and their tendency to participate in the study. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the physical activity questionnaire for older adults (CHAMPS), incentive factors, and barriers to physical activity. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and regression were used to analyze the data.

The age of participants ranged from 60-94 years. The results showed that 25.96% of the older adults were sedentary and 34.86% had low-intensity, 38.42% had a moderate intensity and 0.76% had high-intensity physical activity. The main factors for physical activity were: The right companion, feeling relaxed, friends’ encouragement, meeting friends, the doctor prescribing, and maintaining fitness. Barriers included illness and medical factors, long distances, lack of sports venues, fear of falling and injury, lack of access to equipment and facilities. The results also indicated a relationship between physical activity and variables such as age, living conditions, elderly male occupation, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

Overall, physical activity in older adults seems to be multifactorial in nature, and a wide range of socio-demographic factors are involved in determining the level of individual activity. The level of physical activity in the present study was low and most participants had low-intensity physical activity. Based on the findings, identifying effective factors and barriers has an important role in promoting physical activity in older adults.