Increased physical activity, physician recommendation, and senior center participation

James H Swan,Keith Turner,David Sanders,Shilpa Shashidhara

doi:10.4236/health.2013.512a002

Abstract

Physical activity is a recognized preventive health measure for seniors and an important focus for senior centers. This paper employs the Andersen Behavioral Model to explore increased physical activity and participation in three types of senior center activities: physical fitness, dance/aerobic classes, and chair exercises. Data were collected in 2006 on 798 and in 2007 on 742 participants at 21 multipurpose senior centers in a large urban county. Logistic regression analysis (PROC RLOGIST in SAS-callable SUDAAN) was employed to predict increased physical activity, with modes of center participation in physical activity as mediating factors. Predisposing and enabling factors predicted both engaging in center-based exercise programs and increases in physical activity; but the strongest predictors of increases in physical activity were needed factors: physician recommendations to increase exercise and to lose weight. Implications are that both SCs and healthcare providers are important to promote physical activity in the older population.

Highlights

Physical activity is a recognized preventive health measure for elders [1]
Compared to Whites, African Americans show greater participation in dance/aerobics and chair exercises, Hispanics lower involvement in physical fitness but greater involvement in dance/aerobic classes. These results for participation in SC activities are interesting in light of general tendencies of African American and Hispanic elders to be less involved in physical activity than are non-Hispanic white elders [25]
African Americans were more likely than whites to report SC physical activity and SC chair exercises

Summary

Introduction

Physical activity is a recognized preventive health measure for elders [1]. Regular activity offers an opportunity to extend years of active independent living [2]. Promotion of physical activity is a major concern for elders [3], is an important focus for senior centers (SCs). This paper explores physical activity at SCs in a metropolitan county, employing the Andersen Behavioral Model as a theoretical underpinning

Methods

Results

Conclusion