| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
| Physical inactivity among older adults across Europe based on the SHARE database | | Author(s) | Marcos Gomes, Daniela Figueiredo, Laetitia Teixeira |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 46, no 1, January 2017 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, January 2017 |
| Pages | pp 71-77 |
| Source | https://academic.oup.com/ageing |
| Keywords | Inactivity ; Ageing process ; Health [elderly] ; Ill health ; Evaluation ; Europe. |
| Annotation | Regular physical activity is one of the key components of a healthy lifestyle. It is associated with better physical and cognitive functioning in later life and with increased life expectancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of, and factors related to, physical inactivity among older adults across Europe. In this cross-sectional analysis, data was used from participants aged 55 or older in Wave 4 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) database, a multidisciplinary and cross-national panel database covering health, socioeconomic status, and social and family networks. Individuals included in this study were classified as physically active or physically inactive. Clinical, psychosocial and sociodemographic variables were evaluated for their association with physical inactivity. From the total of 58,489 individuals in SHARE, the study selected 19,298 people aged 55 or older, 59.2% of whom were female. The overall prevalence of inactivity among individuals aged 55 or older in the 16 included countries was 12.5%. The prevalence of physical inactivity varied between countries, ranging from 4.9% (Sweden) to 29% (Portugal). Increasing age, depression, physical limitations, poor sense of meaning in life, social support and memory loss were significant variables associated with physical inactivity. Overall findings showed that physical inactivity can be explained by physical, cognitive and psychological conditions. Interventions aimed at promoting physical activity among older people are needed to address this diversity of factors. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-170310204 A |
| Classmark | C5: BG: CC: CH: 4C: 74 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|