Duke researchers recently published key insights into long-term physical activity maintenance in older adults through a 10-year follow-up study of the STRRIDE I trial.
The research, published in the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (TJACSM) and led by DPHS' Katherine A. Collins-Bennett, PhD, NBC-HWC, examined barriers and predictors of physical activity maintenance among 104 participants, now aged 63 on average.
"We know maintaining physical activity beyond a structured exercise intervention setting continues to be challenging for older adults," said Collins-Bennett. "Our goal was to identify barriers and predictors of self-reported physical activity maintenance 10 years following STRRIDE I. We found compared to those who reported no barriers, older adults who reported one or more barriers to physical activity maintenance were less active 10 years following STRRIDE I."
The study identified lack of self-motivation (41%), time constraints (33%), illness or injury (29%), and family obligations (23%) as primary barriers to maintaining physical activity. Participants reported an average of 78 minutes of physical activity per week, with significant variations between those reporting barriers versus those who didn't.
"Additionally, we found that participants' responses to a structured exercise intervention in certain clinical variables may be the most indicative of future physical activity maintenance," Collins-Bennett said.
To read the article, please visit the TJACSM website here.