Desire to exercise motivates seniors
Why do some people choose activity while others do not? Different theories of behavior seek to understand the underlying dynamics. At the University of Ottawa, a recent study applied the theory of planned behavior, which "proposes that more positive attitudes, greater perceived social pressure and greater behavioral control will lead to strong intentions to perform a given behavior."
Researchers recruited 109 physically frail seniors ages 65 years or older who were living in the community. Almost 40% attended exercise programs at the sites where they were recruited. Their attitudes toward exercise were evaluated with a series of questions asking, for example, how positively or negatively they felt about exercise or whether they considered exercise inconvenient. Attitudes were evaluated along with sociodemographics, health, activity, pain and advice to exercise.
The activities most frequently reported by participants were indoor walking (78%), light housework (65.1%), and chair exercise (45.9%). More highly active people did chair exercises, used weights and climbed stairs at home.
Activity was related to their attitudes toward exercise, not to their sociodemographics or health. The authors reported that "a strong intention to continue exercising, positive attitudes about exercise and having been advised by a doctor to exercise" were significant predictors of being highly active.
Source: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 13, 276-293 (2005)
Senior Citizen Aticles | Senior Exercise Motivation
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