Effect of psychosocial motivations and technology on physical activity behaviours among community older men and women

BMC Geriatrics

Research

Yong Lin Lee¹  Gina S. Lee²  Fei Gao³  Angela S. Koh³  Liang Zhong³  Ru-San Tan³  Louis LY Teo³ 

[1]Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

[2]National Heart Centre Singapore, 5 Hospital Drive, 169609, Singapore, Singapore

[3]National Heart Centre Singapore, 5 Hospital Drive, 169609, Singapore, Singapore

[4]Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore

关键词: Exercise;    Psychosocial;    Cardiovascular;    Digital health;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-022-03654-8

 received in 2022-07-31, accepted in 2022-11-25,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundImplementation of physical activity strategies in older populations may be influenced by underlying psychosocial and gender-based factors to physical activity. We explored associations between these factors and physical activity behaviors and technology among older men and women.MethodsCommunity older adults underwent echocardiography and interviewer administered questionnaires that collected physical activity habits, self-motivation, self-empowerment and smartphone usage patterns associated with physical activity. Aerobic capacity was denoted by VO2max (High VO2 was defined as VO2 > 35 (ml/kg/min) for men or VO2 > 27 (ml/kg/min) for women).ResultsAmong 180 participants (mean age 77 (71–80) years; 43% females), 101 (56.1%) had a low VO2max. Barriers to activity were lack of time (27.8%), tiredness (26.7%), affordability (12.8%) and pain while exercising (12.2%). Compared to participants with high VO2max, those with low VO2max were less likely to report feeling good post-exercise (70.3% vs 86.1%, adjusted p = 0.041) and express barriers to exercise (72.3% vs 88.6%, adjusted p = 0.017). Compared to men, women were more likely to express motivation for exercise if they were guided by an instructor (20.5% vs 1.96%, adjusted p = 0.027), less likely to prefer control over exercise type and difficulty (57.7% vs 82.4%, adjusted p = 0.001), express interest in smartphone apps (7.84% vs 24.4%, adjusted p = 0.01) and participate in apps-guided exercise (10.3% vs 29.4%, adjusted p = 0.001). Major factors that motivated the use of smartphone applications to manage individual health were financial incentives (23.9%) and guidance on exercise routines (21.1%) while the reveal of personal information was a major deterrent (28.3%).ConclusionsWe observed differences in physical activity motivation, empowerment and technology use based on gender and functional status. Tailoring physical activity strategies, including digital health strategies, that target psychosocial and gender-based factors may improve activity participation in older adults.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

【 图 表 】

Fig. 3