Centre for Policy on Ageing



Physical activity among men and women in midlife — variations by class and employment status
Author(s)	Mark Phillips, Sara Arber, Jay Ginn
Journal title	Education and Ageing, vol 16, no 2, 2001
Pages	pp 135-162
Keywords	Exercise ; Middle aged ; Social class ; Labour economics ; Social surveys.
Annotation	Midlife is a key time for health promotion, but there has been relatively little research on how low levels of health-promoting activity vary between men and women. This article examines how being out of the workforce between 50 and state pension age has a different impact on participation in physical activity according to class and gender. Secondary analysis of data from the 1983 and 1984 Health Survey for England shows that working-class people are more likely than the middle class to be physically active when employed, but less likely when not employed. The highest levels of inactivity are found among the non-employed working class, and relate to low levels of education, poor health and possibly negative attitudes towards physical activity. Working-class people in midlife should be considered as a target group for promoting physical activity after the cessation of paid employment. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-011127202 A
Classmark	CEA: SE: T: WH: 3F
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.