Primary Factors For Exercise Habituation And Physical Activity Barriers Among Community-dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Exercise habituation and higher levels of physical activity can enhance physical function, allowing older adult to maintain their ability to perform activities of daily living. Better understanding of exercise habituation and the perceived barriers to physical activity in older adults is important to develop more effective exercise interventions for this population and to help increase exercise-participation levels. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the primary factors that influence exercise habituation and compare these factors between exercise and non-exercise groups among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Participants were 258 Japanese people (101 men and 157 women, aged 60 years or older) who responded to a questionnaire regarding physical activity habits and barriers to physical activity participation. Participants were placed into one of two groups: exercisers (performed any kind of physical activity at least once a week) and non-exercisers (participated in no physical activity). Data were analyzed using factor analysis to identify underlying factor structures. RESULTS: The proportions of exercisers and non-exercisers were 62.8% and 37.2%, respectively. Factor analysis on the questionnaire identified 8 barriers to exercise behavior. The most significant barriers for the non-exercisers were physical aliments, inertia and negative image. Major reasons of physical inactivity were “dislike of physical activity”, “lack of social support”, and “lack of enough time”. CONCLUSIONS: In order to enhance exercise habituation, it is important to improve the negative image of exercise and to provide older adults with physical activity options that they enjoy.