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Physical activity and related factors among nursing home residents
1Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to examine physical activity and the predictors of physical activity and exercise among nursing home residents.
Design:
Population study.
Participants:
The sample (n = 190) was obtained by selecting every man and every second women from the entire nursing home population (n = 346) in the city of Jyväskylä, central Finland, in autumn 1989. Information was eventually collected by interview from 158 persons (49 men and 109 women).
Setting:
An in-home interview carried out among nursing home populations.
Measurements:
Independent variables were the questions describing physical activity among nursing home populations. Dependent variables were the predictors of physical activity: depression, contentment with nursing home living, activities outside the nursing home, and self-rated functioning.
Main Results:
Walking and home gymnastics were the most common forms of physical exercise. The intensity of overall exercise was rather low, and the men carried out physical exercise more intensively than the women. More than 30% of the respondents reported decreased physical activity during their stay in the nursing home. However, attitudes toward physical exercise among the residents were largely positive. The primary factor limiting physical exercise was poor health status. Among the men, physical exercise was significantly associated with self-rated functioning, depressive symptoms, and contentment with life in the nursing home. Among the women, higher contentment with the nursing home and less depression were associated with a physically active life.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that living conditions and factors related to health and functional capacity affect the level of physical activity among nursing home residents. In order to encourage this population to be physically active, attention should be paid not only to physical exercise but also to associated factors, such as satisfaction with everyday life and health.