1. Physical activity levels in older adults and factors that influence these

2. Physical activity levels in England
Based on the 2011 UK physical activity guidelines, in England:
47% of adults years meet the physical activity guidelines
20% of adults aged 75+ meet the physical activity guidelines.
Men are more active than women
Health Survey for England, 2012
This data, from the Health Survey for England, 2012 presents the proportion of adults meeting the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.

3. Physical activity levels in Scotland
Based on the 2011 UK physical activity guidelines, in Scotland:
51% of adults aged years meet the physical activity guidelines
26% of adults aged 75+ years meet the physical activity guidelines
53% of men and 56% of women are classified in the ‘low activity’ group
Scottish Health Survey, 2014
This data, from the Scottish Health Survey, 2014 presents the proportion of adults meeting the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
Low activity refers to adults who complete less than 30 minutes of moderate activity or 15 minutes of vigorous activity per week

4. Physical activity levels in Wales
Based on the 2011 UK physical activity guidelines, in Wales:
56% of adults aged years meet the physical activity guidelines
35% of adults aged 75+ years meet the physical activity guidelines
40% of adults aged 65+ are classified as inactive
Welsh Health Survey, 2015
This data, from the Welsh Health Survey, 2015 presents the proportion of older adults meeting the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
Adults are classified as inactive if they complete less than 30 minutes of moderate activity or 15 minutes of vigorous activity per week

5. Physical activity levels in Northern Ireland
Based on the UK physical activity guidelines in Northern Ireland:
28% of adults aged and 12% of adults aged 75+ are active for at least 150 minutes per week
6% of year olds and 1% of adults 75+ do muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week
14% of adults aged 65+ exercise to improve balance at least twice a week.
Health Survey Northern Ireland 2013/14
This data, from the Health Survey Northern Ireland 2013/14 presents the proportion of adults meeting the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
It also asked questions about how many older adults guidelines on muscle strengthening exercise and exercises to improve balance.

6. Sedentary behaviour levels in the UK
In England, men aged 65+ spend 6-7 hours per day sedentary and women spend 5½-7½ hours per day sedentary.
In Scotland, older adults aged 65+ spent between approximately 6½-7½ hours sedentary per day.
In Northern Ireland, 61% of adults aged years and 70% of adults aged 75+ spend more than four hours per day sedentary.
Sedentary behaviour refers to a group of behaviours that occur whilst sitting or lying down and that typically require very low energy expenditure.

7. Factors affecting physical activity
Physical activity is a complex, multi-dimensional behaviour influenced by a wide range of factors.
Physical activity is a complex behaviour. A wide range of factors can influence whether or not older adults are active. These factors can operate at an individual, social and environmental level.
The following slides explain what biological, demographic, psychological, social and environmental factors influence older adults ability to be active.

8. Factors affecting physical activity: Biological factors
Age: As adults get older, their levels of physical activity decline
Gender: Men tend to be more active than women
It is a well-established trend that physical activity levels decline with age. This is especially notable in older adults where physical activity levels are very low.
Surveys consistently report that men are more active than women across all ages.

9. Factors affecting participation: Demographic factors
Older adults from the following groups tend to have lower activity levels:
ethnic minority groups
people who live alone
lower socio-economic status
lower levels of educational attainment.
Several demographic factors influence physical activity.
Adults from minority ethnic groups experience the greatest age related decline in physical activity.
Older adults who live alone are likely to have lower activity levels than their married peers
Those from a lower socioeconomic background have lower levels of activity
Lower educational attainment is associated with a greater age related decline in physical activity participation.

10. Factors affecting participation: Psychological factors
Physical activity is positively associated with:
self efficacy
confidence
risk perception
beliefs
attitudes
values.
Psychological markers can either facilitate or inhibit physical activity. The factors listed here are positively associated with physical activity. Therefore the greater an individual’s self-efficacy (belief in your own ability to be active), confidence, risk perception, beliefs, attitudes and values, the more likely they are to achieve higher physical activity levels.

11. Factors affecting participation: Psychological factors
Physical activity is negatively associated with:
fear (of falling/over exertion)
concern for personal safety.
Older adults who experience fear of falling or over exertion while participating in activity and have a greater concern for their personal safety are less likely to be active. Overcoming these barriers may be essential to helping older adults become active.

12. Factors affecting participation: Social factors
Social factors that positively affect physical activity are:
social support offered by significant others and health professionals
social cohesion by having trust, solidarity and sharing values among neighbours.
Older adults who are offered support by significant others, eg, GPs, exercise and physical activity practitioners, care givers, family and friends are more likely to be active.
Older adults who trust their neighbours and share their values have higher physical activity levels.

13. Factors affecting participation: Environmental factors
Some environmental factors impact older adults activity levels:
crime
traffic safety
transportation shortages
proximity of destinations.
Crime: Levels of crime are more likely to deter older adults from going outside than any other age group.
Traffic Safety: Fear of traffic is common among older adults as they are the most likely to be involved in road traffic accidents. In addition, the time allocated by traffic lights to cross a road requires an average walking speed that is higher than what is achievable by most 70 year olds.
Transportation: A shortage of transportation options prevents older adults from taking part in a range of activities.
Proximity to destinations: Older adults are more likely to walk if they have somewhere interesting to go and they often report that there is a lack of physical activity opportunities and settings.

14. For more information…
For more information, please see the physical activity for older adults evidence briefing.
Available to download at