Eliciting older people's preferences for exercise programs: a best-worst scaling choice experiment

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Exercise Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Older adults with a history of falls or mobility issues often face barriers to physical activity.
• Understanding their preferences for exercise programs is crucial for effective health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the relative importance older adults place on various attributes of exercise programs.
• To identify key factors influencing exercise program engagement in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A prospective best-worst scaling study was conducted with 220 community-dwelling older adults (aged 60+).
• Participants completed online or face-to-face questionnaires assessing preferences for exercise attributes like type, cost, and travel.
• Utility values were derived from choices indicating the most and least desirable program features.

Main Results:

• Exercise attributes with the highest utility included home-based programs, no transport requirement, and zero out-of-pocket costs.
• Significant value was also placed on a 60% improvement in daily task ability and a 0% reduction in fall risk.
• Longer travel times (≥30 minutes) and higher costs (AUD50/session) were least desirable.

Conclusions:

• Exercise type, travel time, and cost are prioritized over direct health benefits by older adults with fall history.
• Strategies to increase physical activity should focus on enhancing program accessibility.
• Home-based, low-cost exercise options close to residence are most likely to be adopted.