A Qualitative Exploration of Facilitators and Barriers to Physical Activity Participation among Chinese Retired Adults in Hong Kong

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify facilitators and barriers associated with physical activity participation among retired Chinese adults in Hong Kong. This study adopts an interview research design in order to generate an in-depth understanding and insights into the participants’ thoughts, motivators and experiences of physical activity participation. Independent, semi-structured interviews with 10 retired participants (aged 54–74) were conducted based on an interview protocol with open-ended questions prompting the participants to describe their experiences. Transcribed texts were analysed using thematic analysis, combining both deductive and inductive analysis techniques. Common physical activities reported were walking, stretching exercise and jogging/running. Participants responded that their physical activity level increased since their retirement. We report the interview results according to the themes which emerged from the analysis: (1) physical and mental health, (2) socio-emotional factors, (3) environmental context, (4) family responsibilities. We found that the themes (1), (2) and (3) act either as a facilitator or a barrier for the participants interviewed, while theme (4) family responsibilities act as a barrier. The findings suggested that future physical activity interventions for retired Chinese adults should include more physical activity knowledge, such as the benefits to physical and mental health brought by physical activity and social elements, considering the specific challenges that participants are confronted with (from the family side).

Factors Associated with the Participation of Older Adults in Cultural and Sports Activities

“…Studies conducted in the field [43] identified the main barriers that limit the participation of older persons in physical/sports activities, which included poor health, a lack of a companion, a lack of adequate means of transport (perception of location accessibility proved to be important among elderly participants in the study), a lack of time available for such activities, and a lack of interest. In other qualitative studies [44], physical and mental health, socioemotional factors, and environmental context were identified as being both facilitators and barriers to older persons participation in sports activities, while family responsibilities (taking care of grandchildren) only represented a barrier. In other research, barriers to sports activities among older persons were grouped into intrapersonal factors (physical and mental health, skills), interpersonal factors (e.g., lack of time due to caring for grandchildren), and organizational factors (e.g., lack of information about sports programs, limited financial resources) [40].…”

An Individually Tailored Program to Increase Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors among the Elderly

“…Prevalent facilitators were health and help and encouragement of family/friends. Similarly, in a recent study by Huang et al (2022) [ 31 ], facilitators associated with physical activity participation among retired adults were physical and mental health and socioemotional factors. In the current study, self-efficacy was also a strong facilitator.…”

“…Those with higher levels of self-efficacy were more likely to try a particular task compared to those with lower levels of self-efficacy [ 32 ]. One of the ways to increase self-efficacy is via increasing knowledge [ 31 ]. Therefore, health promotion programs should make the effort to increase knowledge on health promotion.…”

Trends in the rate of regular exercise among adults: results from chronic disease and risk factor surveillance from 2010 to 2018 in Jiangsu, China

“…The average retirement age is 60. Compared with non-retirees under 45 years old, retired people have less stress from study, work, and life and take more exercise ( 38 ). We observed a much higher rate of regular exercise in urban than in rural areas, as well as significant increases in regular exercise rates in both areas, consistent with a previous study ( 39 ).…”