Elderly Individuals have Similar Attitudes Towards Physical Activity and Exercise as the Young and Middle Aged, but are Less Likely to Seek Companionship or Gym Memberships

Abstract

As our population continues to extend life expectancy, a central concern is the quality of life into old age. The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs, outlooks, opinions, and perceptions on Physical Activity (PA) and exercise (EX) of an elderly population in South Carolina compared to their younger age counterparts. Males and females ages 18 years and older representing 13 diverse groups from Cherokee County, South Carolina participated in this study. Phase I of the research study concentrated on gathering data through facilitated focus group discussions. A survey was created to validate the findings of the initial focus group interviews. The survey was based on themes regarding PA, EX and the gym environment from the interviews. 345 participants in total, aged 18 years and older, voluntarily completed a survey. The focus of this study is the 65+ year old group and whether their results differ from younger and middle aged participants. Data from the 18-64 year old participants has previously been published, but is presented in a different format in the current study and used as a point of comparison to data from the elderly participants, which has not previously been published. In this study, the majority of all respondents felt that there was a difference between PA and EX and that national guidelines for activity could be achieved through lifestyle PA, although this percentage was lower in elderly males. Overall, most attitudes and opinions towards EX and PA were similar in 65+ year old participants compared to younger ones, or the overall response reflective of all age groups. Most respondents also felt that lifestyle EX, age groups