Social marketing interventions to promote physical activity among 60\u2009years and older: a systematic review of the literature

Luc Goethals,Nathalie Barth,Michael S Mulvey,Frederic Roche,David Hupin,Bienvenu Bongue,Karine Gallopel-Morvan

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09386-x

Abstract

BackgroundFalls are a significant source of morbidity in people aged 65 and over, affecting one in three people in this age group. The scientific evidence indicates that physical activity is the most effective method for preventing falls among seniors. Although public health professionals often use social marketing to design and plan successful interventions, its use to promote physical activity and prevent falls among older people remains low. This article aims to provide a new systematic literature review of social marketing interventions promoting physical activity and targeting people aged 60 and over.MethodsFollowing CRD’s guidance and PRISMA guidelines, we searched between January 2008 and July 2019 for relevant articles in five primary databases using predefined search and inclusion criteria. Two independent reviewers analysed the selected articles to identify evidence of the seven social marketing benchmark criteria, defined by experts in the field as the common elements that contribute to social marketing success.ResultsThe final review included nine studies. Of the studies selected, three specifically targeted over 60-year-olds, whereas the others segmented the population into several age-based subcategories, including over 60-year-olds. Eight studies highlighted positive results for the participants with an increase in participation or an increase in physical activity level. None of the nine studies selected for this systematic review implemented the entire social marketing approach.ConclusionFew published interventions use the seven social marketing criteria. Further research is required to encourage uptake and inclusion in successful social marketing interventions to increase program effectiveness in this target population.

Highlights

Falls are a significant source of morbidity in people aged 65 and over, affecting one in three people in this age group
It concluded that the risk of being a recurrent faller was 39% higher in those older adults with the lowest levels of physical activity [5]
Since Physical activity (PA) has been identified as one of the effective interventions for healthy ageing [60] and since a large proportion of seniors are not active enough, targeted social marketing programs could help prevent numerous health problems associated with inactivity [25, 61]

Summary

Introduction

Falls are a significant source of morbidity in people aged 65 and over, affecting one in three people in this age group. Public health professionals often use social marketing to design and plan successful interventions, its use to promote physical activity and prevent falls among older people remains low. This article aims to provide a new systematic literature review of social marketing interventions promoting physical activity and targeting people aged 60 and over. Falls are a significant source of morbidity in people aged 65 and over, affecting one in three people in this. A recent systematic review and metaanalysis examined the association of physical activity and the risk of falling for older adults. Each year in the USA, the cost of non-fatal fall injuries among adults age 65 and over is about $50 billion. The cost of fatal falls is about $754 million [6]

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Conclusion