Methods and Measures Utilized in Older Adult Physical Activity Intervention Assessments: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Exercise Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Existing physical activity guidelines for older adults face challenges due to diverse evaluation methods.
• A secondary review was conducted to assess current physical activity intervention outcome evaluations in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To take stock of current physical activity intervention outcome evaluations among older adults.
• To establish recommendations for unifying measurement in the field of older adult physical activity research.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, CINHAL, and PsychInfo.
• Data from 45 articles were analyzed, focusing on study design, location, physical activity type, assessment methods, reliability, and validity.

Main Results:

• Most studies employed self-report measures, often not tailored for older adults.
• Device-measured approaches showed varied cutoff points and infrequent reporting of reliability and validity.
• A significant lack of standardization was observed in physical activity measurement techniques.

Conclusions:

• The current state of physical activity assessment in older adults lacks standardization, impeding the evaluation of intervention effectiveness.
• There is an urgent need to unify measurement approaches for physical activity in older adults.
• Future research should focus on establishing standardized practices, adapting measures for older adults, and defining clear cutoff points for device-based assessments.