scholarly journals Older adults’ evaluations of the standard and modified pedometer-based Green Prescription

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Asmita Patel ◽  
Grant M. Schofield ◽  
Gregory S. Kolt ◽  
Justin W. L. Keogh

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTIONThe Green Prescription is a primary care programme designed to increase physical activity in individuals with low activity levels. Older adults tend to engage in insufficient physical activity to obtain health-related gain. AIMTo examine participants’ ratings of the Healthy Steps intervention and to assess how participants rated the use of a pedometer-based Green Prescription in aiding their physical activity. METHODSIn total, 330 community-dwelling older adults who have low levels of activity were randomised to receive either a standard time-based Green Prescription or a modified pedometer-based Green Prescription. Post-intervention, 259 participants completed the participant evaluation questionnaire via postal survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-squared analyses. RESULTSThe standard components of the Green Prescription (general practitioner consultations and telephone counselling) received similar and higher ratings across both allocation groups than the use of print materials. A pedometer-based Green Prescription was rated as being helpful in aiding physical activity. DISCUSSIONThis study supports the importance of general practitioners’ initial role in prescribing physical activity for older adults and of ongoing telephone support for longer-term adherence. Incorporating a pedometer can be effective in helping low-active older adults initiate and maintain regular physical activity.

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532090987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J McGowan ◽  
Rachael Powell ◽  
David P French

Older adults are the most sedentary age group, with sedentary behaviour having negative health-related consequences. There is currently limited understanding of how older adults view sedentary behaviour. This study investigated older adults’ understanding of the concept of sedentary behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 community-dwelling older adults in urban North-West England, selected to be diverse in socio-economic background and activity levels. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Participants often construed sedentary behaviour as synonymous with a lack of physical activity, and many perceived reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to be the same thing. Participants perceived the term ‘sedentary’ to have negative connotations and were often judgemental of people who engaged in high levels of sedentary behaviour. Most participants considered reducing sedentary behaviour to be of value, though more active individuals were unconvinced that reducing sedentary behaviour has value beyond the benefits of being physically active. Interventions may wish to provide education to address the misconception that increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is necessary in order to reduce sedentary behaviour. Educating older adults on the independent health consequences of sedentary behaviour may also prove beneficial.


2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Dawson ◽  
Melvyn Hillsdon ◽  
Irene Boller ◽  
Charlie Foster

The authors investigated whether low levels of walking among older adults in the UK were associated with demographic and health characteristics, as well as perceived environmental attributes. Survey data were obtained from self-administered standard questionnaires given to 680 people age 50+ (mean age 64.4 yr) attending nationally led walking schemes. Items concerned with demographic characteristics and perceived barriers to neighborhood walking were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Citing more than 1 environmental barrier to walking, versus not, was associated with significantly reduced levels of (leisure) walking (MET/hr) in the preceding week (Z = –2.35, p = .019), but physical activity levels overall did not differ significantly (Z = –0.71, p = .48). Citing a health-related barrier to walking significantly adversely affected overall physical activity levels (Z = –2.72, p = .006). The authors concluded that, among older people who favor walking, health problems might more seriously affect overall physical activity levels than perceived environmental barriers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koren L. Fisher ◽  
Elizabeth L. Harrison ◽  
Brenda G. Bruner ◽  
Joshua A. Lawson ◽  
Bruce A. Reeder ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to explore cross-sectional relationships between self-reported physical activity (PA) and personal, social, and environmental factors in community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and older. Accounting for clustering by neighborhood, generalized estimating equations were used to examine associations between selected correlates and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) score while adjusting for confounders. Data for 601 participants were analyzed: 79% female, 37% married, mean age 76.8 (± 8.7) years, mean PASE score 112.6 (± 64.8). Age, living in seniors’ housing, using nursing/home care services, receiving encouragement to be active, and having benches available in the neighborhood were inversely associated with PASE. Self-efficacy, SF-12 score, PA barriers, social support, and the presence of trails showed positive associations. Several personal, social, and environmental factors associated with PA were identified. The inverse association between PA and living in seniors’ housing units should be considered when developing PA programs for older adults.


Author(s):  
Oliver Vogel ◽  
Daniel Niederer ◽  
Jan Wilke ◽  
Maike Steinmann ◽  
Lutz Vogt

This study investigates methods of data gathering and management, along with the relationship of lifespan and older adults’ activity. Community-dwelling older adults (n = 47, 81.7 ± 3.6 years) completed the Lifetime Leisure Physical Activity Questionnaire. Current activity was assessed by use of accelerometers. The data were converted to the metabolic equivalent of task hours. Correlations between the main outcomes (metabolic equivalent of task/hour, Lifetime Leisure Physical Activity Questionnaire), as well as individual estimation errors for data adjustments, were computed. The accelerometer and Lifetime Leisure Physical Activity Questionnaire data for the last 12 months’ activity were associated (r = .31, p = .033). The average overestimation in the self-reported data was 176%. The adapted data on lifetime physical activity reveals correlations between older adults’ activity and the activity levels of three 15-year episodes (r = .354; r = .336; r = .323; each p < .05), as well as compliance with guidelines throughout life (Hotelling’s T2 = 45–164; p ≤ .002). Our findings indicate a relationship between lifetime and older adults’ activity and provide further support for lifelong engagement in physical activity.


Author(s):  
Mónica Machón ◽  
Kalliopi Vrotsou ◽  
Isabel Larrañaga ◽  
Itziar Vergara

The aim was to examine how proximity to facilities, as a component of community determinants, is associated with the health-related habits of functionally independent community-dwelling older adults. This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews. Participants were >65 years old, living in 15 municipalities of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain). Proximity to park-green spaces, cultural-sport centers, market-food stores, retirement associations, religious centers, primary care centers and hospitals was explored. Sociodemographic variables and health-related habits (diet, physical activity and self-perceived social life) were collected. Logistic regression models were performed. The sample comprised of 634 individuals (55% women; mean age: 74.8, SD 6.7 years). Older age (odds ratio-OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91–0.97) was associated with lower physical activity, while being male (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.08–2.68) and proximity to park-green spaces (OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.03–2.61) were related to more physical activity. Individuals with good self-perceived health (OR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.82–6.74) and religious centers within walking distance (OR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.40–5.04) had higher odds of a satisfactory social life. Encouraging the creation of park-green spaces and leisure centers near residential areas can assist in promoting physical activity and improving the social life of older adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S169-S169
Author(s):  
Junxin Li ◽  
Sarah Szanton ◽  
Minhui Liu ◽  
Nada Lukkahatai ◽  
Junxin Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Evidence suggests physical activity (PA) improves sleep in older adults. This study examined the preliminary effect of a personalized mHealth behavioral intervention on PA and sleep in older adults. We conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial in 21 community-dwelling older adults with sleep complaints. The 24-week mHealth behavioral intervention included a 2-hour in person training session, personalized exercise prescription, real time PA self-monitoring, interactive prompts, phone consultation, and weekly financial incentives. PA and sleep were measured objectively using Actiwatch 2.0 and subjectively using questionnaires. Peripheral blood was drawn for measuring Plasma inflammatory biomarkers [interleukin 1β, 6, 8, Tumor Necrosis Factor- alpha (TNF-α), and c-reactive protein (CRP)]. Data were collected at baseline, 8-week, 16-week, and post intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA (time*group) was used to examine differences of PA and sleep across times between the two groups. Majority of participants are women (71.4%) with mean age of 73.7 (SD = 6.9). Repeated measure ANOVA showed significant (p &lt;0.05) improvement of objective and subjective PA, objective nocturnal sleep duration, self-report sleep quality (measured by Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index and Insomnia Severity Index) and decreasing of sedentary time over times in the intervention group (n=11), compared to the control group. The intervention group showed significant reduction of plasma TNF-α and CRP levels at 16-week and post intervention. Interventions combining personalized PA and mHealth strategies may positively affect physical activity and sleep in older adults. A larger study is needed to test the efficacy of this intervention and the mechanisms associated with it.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
M.G. BORDA ◽  
M.U. PÉREZ-ZEPEDA ◽  
R. SAMPER-TERNENT ◽  
R.C. GÓMEZ ◽  
J.A. AVILA-FUNES ◽  
...  

Background: Frailty is a clinical state defined as an increase in an individual’s vulnerability to developing adverse health-related outcomes. Objectives: We propose that healthy behaviors could lower the incidence of frailty. The aim is to describe the association between healthy behaviors (physical activity, vaccination, tobacco use, and cancer screening) and the incidence of frailty. Design: This is a secondary longitudinal analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) cohort. Setting: MHAS is a population-based cohort, of community-dwelling Mexican older adults. With five assessments currently available, for purposes of this work, 2012 and 2015 waves were used. Participants: A total of 6,087 individuals 50-year or older were included. Measurements: Frailty was defined using a 39-item frailty index. Healthy behaviors were assessed with questions available in MHAS. Individuals without frailty in 2012 were followed-up three years in order to determine their frailty incidence, and its association with healthy behaviors. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the odds of frailty occurring according to the four health-related behaviors mentioned above. Results: At baseline (2012), 55.2% of the subjects were male, the mean age was 62.2 (SD ± 8.5) years old. The overall incidence (2015) of frailty was 37.8%. Older adults physically active had a lower incidence of frailty (48.9% vs. 42.2%, p< 0.0001). Of the activities assessed in the adjusted multivariate models, physical activity was the only variable that was independently associated with a lower risk of frailty (odds ratio: 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.71-0.88, p< 0.001). Conclusions: Physically active older adults had a lower 3-year incidence of frailty even after adjusting for confounding variables. Increasing physical activity could therefore represent a strategy for reducing the incidence of frailty. Other so-called healthy behaviors were not associated with incident frailty, however there is still uncertainty on the interpretation of those results.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 1850-1862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Warner ◽  
Julia K Wolff ◽  
Svenja M Spuling ◽  
Susanne Wurm

According to Bandura’s social-cognitive theory, perceptions of somatic and affective barriers are sources of self-efficacy. This longitudinal study compares general indicators of health barriers with measures of perceived somatic and affective barriers to predict self-efficacy and accelerometer-assessed physical activity in a subsample of n = 153 (selected at random from N = 310) community-dwelling German older adults. Perceived somatic and affective barriers longitudinally predicted physical activity mediated by self-efficacy, whereas general health barriers did not. Perceived health barriers to physical activity might be more important than more objective health barriers for older adults’ physical activity levels.


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