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How active are older Americans?

Judy Kruger1, Susan A Carlson, David Buchner

  • 1Physical Activity and Health Branch, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop K-46, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. jkruger@cdc.gov

Preventing Chronic Disease
|June 19, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Physical activity participation among older Americans in 2001 was low, with many not meeting recommended guidelines for aerobic, strength, or flexibility exercises. Increased efforts are needed to promote regular exercise in this demographic.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Public Health
  • Exercise Science

Background:

  • Regular physical activity is crucial for mitigating age-related functional decline.
  • Physical activity reduces the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes.
  • Understanding participation levels in different activity types among older adults is essential for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the participation rates in aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and flexibility activities among Americans aged 50 years and older.
  • To assess the extent to which older Americans met the Healthy People 2010 physical activity goals.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized population-based data from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey (N=11,969).
  • Classified respondents based on adherence to Healthy People 2010 criteria for leisure-time aerobic, vigorous-intensity aerobic, strength-training, and flexibility activities.

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  • Categorized aerobic activity levels as inactive, insufficiently active, or regularly active.

    • Main Results:

    • In 2001, 46.4% of older Americans reported no leisure-time aerobic activity.
    • Only 26.1% met the criteria for regularly active, while 13.7% engaged in strength training and 24.5% in flexibility activities weekly.
    • A mere 8.2% of older adults met the combined criteria for both aerobic and strength-training activity.

    Conclusions:

    • As of 2001, older Americans' physical activity levels fell significantly short of Healthy People 2010 objectives.
    • There is a clear need for enhanced strategies to encourage older adults to participate in aerobic, strengthening, and flexibility exercises.
    • Promoting physical activity in older populations is vital for improving health outcomes and reducing chronic disease burden.