PHYSICAL INACTIVITY IN NEW-ZEALANDERS AGED 60 YEARS AND OLDER

Aims. To determine the prevalence of physical inactivity among older N ew Zealanders (greater than or equal to 60 years) and to examine the p atterns of physical inactivity by sex, age, residential and cognitive status. Methods. Information on housework-related and leisure-time phy sical activities obtained from the 910 controls in the Auckland Hip Fr acture Study, was used to determine the prevalence of inactivity. Dire ct standardisation was used to extrapolate the inactivity prevalence f igures from the study population to the general Auckland population. L ogistic regression analyses were undertaken to examine the patterns of physical inactivity by sex, age, residential and cognitive status. Re sults. Of the study participants 48.7% did not undertake any leisure-t ime physical activities and 15.6% did not undertake any physical activ ity. Extrapolation of these data to the Auckland population indicated that 38.9% of older people do not participate in any leisure time acti vity and 6.1% do not partake in any physical activity. Nonparticipatio n in physical activities was shown to be greater for women (odds ratio =1.92; 95% confidence interval: 0.98-4.07); those in the older age gr oups (greater than or equal to 90 years, 7.00; 1.88-45.60); those livi ng in institutions (6.52; 4.01-10.64); and for those who were cognitiv ely impaired (13.96; 7.06-28.92). Conclusion. Policies and programmes should focus on encouraging and supporting older people to become phys ically more active, by engaging in activities in which they enjoy part icipating; by educating older people as to the feasibility and benefit s of physical activities, including maintenance of an independent acti ve life; and by encouraging residents in institutions to continue thei r involvement in housework-related activities, such as gardening, home maintenance and general housework.