Adoption and maintenance of physical activity: Planning interventions in young, middle-aged, and older adults

Over the past few years, attention has been drawn to the importance of neighborhood influences on physical activity behavior and the need to consider a multilevel analysis involving not only individual-level variables but also social-and physical-environment variables at the neighborhood level in explaining individual differences in physical activity outcomes. This new paradigm raises a series of issues concerning systems of influence observed at different hierarchical levels (e.g., individuals, neighborhoods) and variables that can be defined at each level. This article reviews research literature and discusses substantive, operational, and statistical issues in studies involving multilevel influences on middle-aged and older adults’ physical activity. To encourage multilevel research, the authors propose a model that focuses attention on multiple levels of influence and the interaction among variables characterizing individuals, among variables characterizing neighborhoods, and across both levels. They conclude that a multilevel perspective is needed to increase understanding of the multiple influences on physical activity.

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Effects of Attitude, Motivation, and Eagerness for Physical Activity among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Journal of Healthcare Engineering ◽

10.1155/2020/1014891 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Md Mizanur Rahman ◽

Dongxiao Gu ◽

Changyong Liang ◽

Rao Muhammad Rashid ◽

Monira Akter

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Sports Participation ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cost Effective Method ◽

Global Statistics

Background. Although physical activity (PA) is a noninvasive and cost-effective method of improving the quality of health, global statistics show that only a few middle-aged and older adults engage in the recommended PAs. This is due to a lack of motivation and companionship. Objective. This study analyses the attitudes and self-determined motivation of Chinese middle-aged and older adults for PAs and their eagerness to participate in PAs such as sports, exercise, and recreational and cultural activities (RCAs), from attitudinal, eagerness, and motivational objectives of PAs perspective. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 840 middle-aged (35–54 years) and older adults (55+ years). To determine their attitude, eagerness, and self-determined motivation for PA, we used attitudinal, Eagerness for Physical Activity Scale (EPAS), and Situational Motivational Scale (SIMS). The data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0. Results. The results show that 39.1% of the participants were not satisfied with PAs. Compared with females, males reported a less positive attitude towards PAs. Moreover, a positive attitude decreases with age. Participants’ motivation and eagerness in activities such as RCAs, exercise, and sports are decreasing. Regarding self-determined motivation, there are gender differences in RCAs, but there is none for exercise and sports participation. Conclusion. The findings show the importance of RCAs and the support of family and friends enhancing the eagerness, attitude, and motivation to participate in PAs. Furthermore, the findings can help to create more effective PA programs for middle-aged and older adults. By engaging in RCAs, participants can reap the benefits of PAs. Participating in RCAs can lead to social equity in health.

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Social Support Patterns of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Within a Physical Activity App: Secondary Mixed Method Analysis

JMIR Aging ◽

10.2196/12496 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. e12496 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zakkoyya H Lewis ◽

Maria C Swartz ◽

Eloisa Martinez ◽

Elizabeth J Lyons

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Promising Tool ◽

The Social ◽

Method Analysis

Background Physical activity (PA) is critical for maintaining independence and delaying mobility disability in aging adults. However, 27 to 44% of older adults in the United States are meeting the recommended PA level. Activity trackers are proving to be a promising tool to promote PA adherence through activity tracking and enhanced social interaction features. Although social support has been known to be an influential behavior change technique to promote PA, how middle-aged and older adults use the social interaction feature of mobile apps to provide virtual support to promote PA engagement remains mostly underexplored. Objective This study aimed to describe the social support patterns of middle-aged and older adults using a mobile app as part of a behavioral PA intervention. Methods Data from 35 participants (mean age 61.66 [SD 6] years) in a 12-week, home-based activity intervention were used for this secondary mixed method analysis. Participants were provided with a Jawbone Up24 activity monitor and an Apple iPad Mini installed with the UP app to facilitate self-monitoring and social interaction. All participants were given an anonymous account and encouraged to interact with other participants using the app. Social support features included comments and likes. Thematic coding was used to identify the type of social support provided within the UP app and characterize the levels of engagement from users. Participants were categorized as superusers or contributors, and passive participants were categorized as lurkers based on the literature. Results Over the 12-week intervention, participants provided a total of 3153 likes and 1759 comments. Most participants (n=25) were contributors, with 4 categorized as superusers and 6 categorized as lurkers. Comments were coded as emotional support, informational support, instrumental support, self-talk, and other, with emotional support being the most prevalent type. Conclusions Our cohort of middle-aged and older adults was willing to use the social network feature in an activity app to communicate with anonymous peers. Most of our participants were contributors. In addition, the social support provided through the activity app followed social support constructs. In sum, PA apps are a promising tool for delivering virtual social support to enhance PA engagement and have the potential to make a widespread impact on PA promotion. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01869348; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01869348

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Social Support Patterns of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Within a Physical Activity App: Secondary Mixed Method Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12496 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Zakkoyya H Lewis ◽

Maria C Swartz ◽

Eloisa Martinez ◽

Elizabeth J Lyons

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Promising Tool ◽

The Social ◽

Method Analysis

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) is critical for maintaining independence and delaying mobility disability in aging adults. However, 27 to 44% of older adults in the United States are meeting the recommended PA level. Activity trackers are proving to be a promising tool to promote PA adherence through activity tracking and enhanced social interaction features. Although social support has been known to be an influential behavior change technique to promote PA, how middle-aged and older adults use the social interaction feature of mobile apps to provide virtual support to promote PA engagement remains mostly underexplored. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to describe the social support patterns of middle-aged and older adults using a mobile app as part of a behavioral PA intervention. METHODS Data from 35 participants (mean age 61.66 [SD 6] years) in a 12-week, home-based activity intervention were used for this secondary mixed method analysis. Participants were provided with a Jawbone Up24 activity monitor and an Apple iPad Mini installed with the UP app to facilitate self-monitoring and social interaction. All participants were given an anonymous account and encouraged to interact with other participants using the app. Social support features included comments and likes. Thematic coding was used to identify the type of social support provided within the UP app and characterize the levels of engagement from users. Participants were categorized as superusers or contributors, and passive participants were categorized as lurkers based on the literature. RESULTS Over the 12-week intervention, participants provided a total of 3153 likes and 1759 comments. Most participants (n=25) were contributors, with 4 categorized as superusers and 6 categorized as lurkers. Comments were coded as emotional support, informational support, instrumental support, self-talk, and other, with emotional support being the most prevalent type. CONCLUSIONS Our cohort of middle-aged and older adults was willing to use the social network feature in an activity app to communicate with anonymous peers. Most of our participants were contributors. In addition, the social support provided through the activity app followed social support constructs. In sum, PA apps are a promising tool for delivering virtual social support to enhance PA engagement and have the potential to make a widespread impact on PA promotion. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01869348; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01869348

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The effectiveness of health literacy oriented programs on physical activity behaviour in middle aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review

Health Psychology Research ◽

10.4081/hpr.2016.5595 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Michael Huen Sum Lam ◽

Angela Yee Man Leung

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Older Adults ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Type Ii Diabetes ◽

Physical Activity Behavior ◽

Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Type Ii ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Activity Behavior

Health literacy is the first step to self-management of type II diabetes mellitus, of which physical activity is the least compliant behavior. However, no reviews have summarized the effect and the process of interventions of health literacy oriented programs on physical activity behavior among middle aged and older adults with type II diabetes mellitus. This article is the first to examine the effectiveness of health literacy oriented programs on physical activity behavior among middle aged and older adults with type II diabetes mellitus. This systematic review extracted articles from nine electronic databases between 1990 and 2013. Six interventional studies were extracted and reported in accordance with the guidance of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Findings demonstrated that health literacy oriented programs increased the frequency and duration of physical activity among patients with high health literacy. Although some studies effectively improved the health literacy of physical activity, gap in literature remains open for the indistinct and unreliable measurement of physical activity within self-management programs of type II diabetes mellitus, and the questionable cross-culture generalizability of findings. Further studies with well-knit theorybased intervention with respect to patients’ cultural background, duration of intervention and objective measurements are encouraged to elucidate the relationship between health literacy oriented programs and physical activity behavior.

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The Aging trial: Design of a randomized controlled trial to increase physical activity in middle-aged and older adults

Contemporary Clinical Trials ◽

10.1016/j.cct.2020.106105 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 96 ◽

pp. 106105

Author(s):

Manfred Diehl ◽

Abigail Nehrkorn-Bailey ◽

Katherine Thompson ◽

Diana Rodriguez ◽

Kaigang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Trial Design ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Barriers and Motivators of Physical Activity Participation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults—A Systematic Review

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2018-0343 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 929-944 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Karl Spiteri ◽

David Broom ◽

Amira Hassan Bekhet ◽

John Xerri de Caro ◽

Bob Laventure ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Influences ◽

Age Groups ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Quantitative Studies ◽

The Difference ◽

Middle Aged Adults ◽

Health Promotion Interventions ◽

Barriers And Motivators

Identifying the difference in the barriers and motivators between middle-aged and older adults could contribute toward the development of age-specific health promotion interventions. The aim of this review was to synthesize the literature on the barriers and motivators for physical activity in middle-aged (50–64 years) and older (65–70 years) adults. This review examined qualitative and quantitative studies using the theoretical domain framework as the guiding theory. The search generated 9,400 results from seven databases, and 55 articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included. The results indicate that the barriers are comparable across the two age groups, with environmental factors and resources being the most commonly identified barriers. In older adults, social influences, reinforcement, and assistance in managing change were the most identified motivators. In middle-aged adults, goal-setting, the belief that an activity will be beneficial, and social influences were identified as the most important motivators. These findings can be used by professionals to encourage engagement with and adherence to physical activity.

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