Objectives: The European Physical Activity Surveillance System (EUPASS) research project compared several physical activity (PA) measures (including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)) in a time series survey in eight countries of the European Union. The present paper describes first results provided by the different instruments regarding PA participation, frequency and duration, both at the European and national levels. The purpose of the present study is to explore and compare the specific quality and usefulness of different indicators rather than to provide valid and reliable prevalence data. Thus, the main focus is on discussion of the methodological implications of the results presented. Methods: A time series survey based on computer-aided telephone interviewing (CATI) was carried out in eight European countries over a six-month period. The study provided for about 100 realised interviews per month in each country (i.e. , 600 per country). Descriptive statistical analysis was used to: (1) report IPAQ results on vigorous, moderate and light PA and sitting, as well as on the overall measure of calories expenditure (MET min 21 ), in the different countries; (2) compare these results with national PA indicators tested in EUPASS; and (3) compare IPAQ results with other European studies. Results: First, the scores for the different PA categories as well as for the overall measure of calories expenditure provided by the IPAQ appeared rather high compared with previous studies and public health recommendations. Second, the different PA measurements used in EUPASS provided completely different results. For example, national indicators used in Germany and The Netherlands to date neither corresponded in absolute values (e.g. means of PA or sitting) nor correlated with the IPAQ in any significant way. Third, comparing EU countries, the ranking for vigorous, moderate and light activities by use of the IPAQ differed from that of other European studies. For example, in the present analysis, German respondents generally showed higher scores for PA than the Finns and the Dutch, while, in contrast, findings from other studies ranked Finland before The Netherlands and Germany. Conclusions: The present analysis highlights some methodological implications of the IPAQ instrument. Among other things, differences in overall scores for PA as well as in the ranking of nations between the present results using IPAQ and other measures and studies may partly be due to the concepts of PA behind the measurements. Further analysis should investigate if the range of PA-related categories provided by the IPAQ is fully appropriate to measure all relevant daily activities; it may also consider the public health implications of mixing up different contexts of PA (e.g. work, leisure-time, transportation) in the IPAQ short version. Keywords Physical activity Measurement Public health International comparisonIn the last two decades, international research has provided plenty of studies to underline the evidence of h...
Little is known about the predictors of maintenance in organized exercise programmes. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral predictors of maintenance of exercise participation in older adults, using an integrated social psychological model. To this end, we carried out a prospective cohort study (n = 1,725; age 50 years or older) involving 10 different types of exercise programmes, with measurements at baseline and after 6 months. Predictors of intention to continue participating and the actual maintenance of exercise participation in the exercise programme were assessed using a step-wise logistic regression model. Significant odds ratios (ORs) predicting the intention to continue with the exercise programme were found for female sex, younger age, being married, being a non-smoker, being in paid employment, having a positive attitude towards exercise and having a high self-efficacy at baseline. Significant ORs predicting actual maintenance of exercise participation were short lapses, absence of lapses, high intention at baseline, high perceived quality of the programme, positive attitude at baseline and few risk situations at baseline. In order to promote maintenance of exercise participation for older adults, effort should be taken to prevent lapses, to help people cope with risk situations for lapses, to improve the attitude towards exercise participation and to improve the quality of the programme.
This study examines dropout incidence, moment of dropout, and switching behavior in organized exercise programs for seniors in the Netherlands, as determined in a prospective cohort study (with baseline measurements at the start of the exercise program and follow-up after 6 months; N = 1,725, response rate 73%). Participants were community-living individuals 50+ who participated in different forms of organized exercise programs. The average dropout incidence was 0.15 per 6 months, which is lower than that for the general population. The dropout incidence and the timing of dropout differed substantially between the exercise programs. In total, 31% of people who dropped out of one type of exercise program switched to another type of exercise. The type of program and exercise had a strong effect on differences in this switching behavior. It is recommended that switching behavior be monitored in future studies.Key Words: physical activity, health behavior, health promotion, agingThere is clear evidence of the benefi ts of exercise programs for older adults (American College of Sports Medicine, 1998). Regular physical activity has been associated with a variety of health benefi ts such as improved cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular function and reduction of risk factors associated with chronic disease states. Exercise also plays an important role in enhancing the quality of life of older adults by improving physiological and psychological function, which helps to maintain personal independence and reduces the demand for acute-and chronic-care services (Pate, et al., 1995; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). It is therefore important to promote exercise participation among older individuals.Dropout from exercise programs is a problem (Carmody, Senner, Malinow, & Matarazzo, 1980;Dishman, 1982;Dishman & Sallis, 1994;Oldridge, 1988) Paterson, 1998;Oldridge, 1982). The available studies generally looked at dropout data for younger adults (i.e., <50 years old), and these might not be representative for older populations (King, Blair, Bild, & Dishman, 1992). Some researchers have suggested that older adults might exercise more consistently because they are more concerned about their health and have more time to exercise than younger adults do (Lee et al., 1996;Oldridge, 1988). In contrast, other researchers have shown that, in community exercise programs, older people are no more compliant than younger people (Ecclestone et al.). Older people might also be more likely to interrupt their exercise programs because the incidence of chronic diseases increases with advancing age. Obstacles to habitual exercise can lead to lapses, defi ned as slight periods of nonparticipation in the exercise program, and ultimately to dropout. In our study, we have defi ned dropout in terms of stopping with a specifi c exercise program, rather than a cessation of all physical activity. To date, only one study (Ecclestone et al., 1998) investigated the behavior of participants in switching from one exercise program to ano...
This study reports entry correlates and motivations of older adults participating in organized exercise programs in the Netherlands, as determined in a descriptive explorative study (N= 2,350, response rate 86%). Participants were community-dwelling older adults (50+ years) who enrolled and started in 10 different exercise programs. Entry features were analyzed for differences in age, sex, marital status, education, living situation, body-mass index, lifestyle, and health status. Motivations for entering an exercise program were determined using homogeneity analyses. More Exercise for Seniors (MBvO) attracted relatively older seniors, whereas organized sports mainly attracted younger ones. Walking, MBvO, and gymnastics attracted more women, whereas skating and table tennis were reported to attract more male participants. Badminton and cycling attracted relatively higher educated participants, whereas MBvO attracted relatively lower educated participants. Three distinct motivational constructs were found: relax and enjoy, care and cure, and competition. Public health and recruitment implications of these findings are discussed.
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