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Older women's beliefs about physical activity
1College of Nursing, University of Iowa, Iowa City.
Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.)
|November 3, 1998
Summary
Older women view physical activity as part of social life, unlike exercise. Understanding these social influences is key for effective public health interventions to promote activity in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Physical activity is crucial for older adults' health and well-being.
- Understanding determinants of physical activity is vital for intervention development.
- The theory of planned behavior is a framework for health behavior research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore beliefs influencing physical activity decisions in community-dwelling older women.
- To identify behavioral, control, and normative beliefs related to physical activity.
- To compare beliefs about overall physical activity with those about episodic exercise.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews with 30 community-dwelling older women.
- Content analysis of interview responses to identify key themes.
- Comparison of findings with published data on episodic exercise in a similar cohort.
Main Results:
- Three major themes emerged: social influences, psychosocial benefits, and barriers (joint problems, fatigue).
- Physical activity was perceived as integrated into social life by participants.
- In contrast, episodic exercise was viewed as separate from daily routines.
Conclusions:
- Beliefs about physical activity among older women are socially embedded.
- A social model may be effective for public health interventions targeting physical activity in this demographic.
- Interventions should consider the social context of physical activity for older women.