HOW DO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS AFFECTS SEDENTARY AND ACTIVE DISCRETIONARY TIME ACTIVITIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS?

Abstract

Two published studies of older adults have shown that telephone-based interventions can increase physical activity that is prescribed by an intervention. Little is known about whether participating in physical activity interventions generalizes to increase time spent in physical activities not prescribed by interventions. PURPOSE: Using data from these two studies, goals were to document discretionary time activities among older adults, determine whether time spent in discretionary activities varied by gender, and investigate whether participation in physical activity interventions increased the time that older adults spend in discretionary time physical activities that were not specifically prescribed by the intervention. METHODS: Study 1 compared two physical activity interventions in sedentary, healthy older men and women (N = 103, M = 70.2 years). Study 2 compared a physical activity intervention with a nutrition intervention in sedentary, healthy older women (N = 93, M = 63.1 years). The telephone-delivered interventions focused on home-based or combined group- and home-based exercise. Participants in both studies completed similar assessments of their discretionary time activities using the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire. RESULTS: At baseline, across both studies, over 95% of participants endorsed talking on the telephone and reading as frequent sedentary, discretionary time activities; over 80% endorsed visiting with friends and watching television or listening to radio. Women engaged in significantly greater hours per week of social activities and home maintenance activities than did men (p < .05). From baseline to post intervention for both studies, time spent in social, recreational, home and non-intervention physical activities remained stable by sex and across time after participating in a physical activity intervention. Despite published 2–3 hour increases in physical activities occurring in response to the study interventions, increases did not generalize to activities not prescribed by interventions. CONCLUSION: Older adults are participating in numerous social and recreational activities; however, most of them are sedentary in nature. Weekly sedentary and non-intervention physical activities remained stable across time and in the face of physical activity intervention prescriptions. This research supported in part by grants AG09991 and AG 12358 from the National Institute on Aging and by grant HL 58914 from the National Heart Lung Blood Institute.