The Association Between Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults

Abstract

Although there is substantial evidence on the association between physical activity and self-rated health among older adults globally, there is a paucity of findings on this topic for the aging Indonesian population. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between self-reported physical activity and self-rated health among older adults in Indonesia. The data used were from the fifth wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS). A multilevel regression approach was used for analysis. A sample of 1,813 older adults (aged 60 and over) within 311 communities was used in the study. Self-reported physical activity measured by time spent walking was the independent variable, and self-rated health was the dependent variable. The analysis was adjusted for gender, age, education level, marital status, religiosity, retirement status, neighborhood safety, extroversion, and subjective poverty. The results revealed that increased physical activity was consistently associated with better self-rated health in both unadjusted (β=0.04, p<0.05) and adjusted (β=0.06, p<0.01) models. To improve public health in Indonesia, primary health care professionals, health policymakers, and other health promoters should consider including physical activity in health policies and encourage older individuals to engage in regular physical activity.