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Strategies to Promote Physical Activity Among Retired Adults: A Scoping Review
Arianne Côté1,2, Paule Miquelon1
1Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
Background:
Retirement is a significant life event marked by changes in work status, income, social networks, and lifestyles. Although retired people seem to have more free time to incorporate physical activity (PA) into their lives, PA generally decreases following retirement. Therefore, retirement provides a potential window of opportunity to implement PA promotion interventions.
Objective:
This scoping review investigated which strategies or interventions can promote PA among retired adults.
Methods:
An exhaustive search was performed in March 2024 across five databases, namely APA PsycInfo, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscuss, SCOPUS, and CINAHL, adhering to PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. Seventeen articles met the inclusion criteria, of which 14 used a randomized controlled trial design.
Results:
The results suggest that computer- or app-based interventions, as well as interventions where participants can set their own goals, choose which type of PA they want to practice, how often they want to exercise, as well as when and where they want to do so, can foster improvements in PA levels among retired individuals.
Conclusion:
The results underscore the need for more research on differential responses to PA interventions in population subgroups, such as men and women.
Implications:
Future studies should focus on a more personalized approach rather than a one-size-fits-all intervention, as people's preferences or attitudes toward certain types of interventions can vary significantly based on sex, socioeconomic status, or current level of PA.
