Participation in physical activities by older Australians: a review of thesocial psychological benefits and constraints

Participation in physical activities has been found to be an important fact or in contributing to a healthy lifestyle. Research has found strong relati onships between participation in regular physical activity and the preventi on of disease, while its relationship to the psychological and social dimen sions have been neglected. Recently however, several studies have found cau sal relationships between physical activity and improved mood state, reduce d anxiety, reduced depression, and increased social support. Despite this, surveys indicate that participation levels in physical activities are decli ning among older Australians, with the exceptions of walking and gardening. This paper also examines constraints to participation in leisure programs, such as lack of time, poor health, fear of crime, the financial cost and t he lack of a partner to participate with. A number of strategies have been suggested to overcome these constraints.