Factors associated with exercise adherence among older adults - An individual perspective

This paper reviews the literature concerning factors at the individual leve l associated with regular exercise among older adults. Twenty-seven cross-s ectional and 14 prospective/longitudinal studies met the inclusion criteria of a mean participant age of 65 years or older. The findings are summarise d by demographics, exercise experience, exercise knowledge, physiological f actors, psychological factors, activity preferences and perceived social in fluences. In general, education and exercise history correlate positively w ith regular exercise, while perceived physical frailty and poor health may provide the greatest barrier to exercise adoption and adherence in the elde rly. Social-cognitive theories identify several constructs that correlate w ith the regular exercise behaviour of older adults, such as exercise attitu de, perceived behavioural control/self-efficacy, perceived social support a nd perceived benefits/barriers to continued activity. As well, stage modell ing may provide additional information about the readiness for regular exer cise behaviour among older adults. However, relatively few studies among ol der adults exist compared with middle-aged and younger adults. Further, the majority of current research consists of cross-sectional designs or short prospective exercise trials among motivated volunteers that may lack extern al validity. Future research utilising longitudinal and prospective designs with representative samples of older adults will provide a better understa nding of significant causal associations between individual factors and reg ular exercise behaviour.