‘A Lot of People Just Go for Walks, and Don’t Do Anything Else’: Older Adults in the UK Are Not Aware of the Strength Component Embedded in the Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Strength recommendations have been embedded within the UK’s Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines since 2011. In 2019, they were given a more prominent position in the accompanying infographic. However, there is limited evidence that these recommendations have been successful in their population-wide dissemination. This study aimed to explore the engagement of community-dwelling older adults with the guidelines to date and to gain a nuanced understanding of the awareness, knowledge, and action that older adults take to fulfil strength recommendations. A total of fifteen older adults living in the UK participated in one online interview. A general inductive approach was used to generate themes from the data. There were four major themes that were found. 1. The strength component of the physical activity guidelines, 2. Barriers, 3. Motivators, and 4. Solutions. No participants were aware of the strength guidelines. When they were asked what activities they used to fulfil the ‘build strength on at least two-days-per-week′ criteria, walking, yoga, and Pilates were the most common responses. Ageism and strength training misconceptions were major barriers to participation in strengthening exercise. Older adults were much less aware of the benefits of building strength and strength training participation when compared to aerobic activities, so motivators to participation were generally not specific to strength training. Finally, there are several ways that practitioners can overcome the barriers to strength training participation. Solutions to improving the uptake and adherence to strength training participation are likely to be more successful when they include opportunities for social interaction, ability-appropriate challenge, and provide both short- and long-term benefits.

A Strong Approach for Overcoming the FoRE: Fear of Resistance Exercise

“…If adults are unaware that MSA can be performed at home or that basic REs do not require a lot of time or specialized equipment, they may be less likely to incorporate MSA into their weekly routine. Despite public health physical activity guidelines that include recommendations for MSA, some adults may not be aware of the MSA component and others may be unfamiliar with REs or training protocols (19,28,29).…”

“…Factors including age and sex have been found to influence participation in RE, with older age and being female associated with lower odds of meeting MSA recommendations (15)(16)(17). Participation in RE is also influenced by modifiable factors including misperceptions, stigmas, lack of knowledge, low motivation, insufficient support, and perceived difficulty or discomfort related to RE (16)(17)(18)(19)(20). The fear of resistance exercise, or FoRE, is a novel term used to describe uneasy feelings, personal factors, and avoidance behaviors associated with MSA.…”

Educação em saúde, envelhecimento e bem-estar

“…As Diretrizes de Atividade Física do Reino Unido, que tem como base as recomendações descritas pela OMS, recomendam que idosos pratiquem: (i) exercícios aeróbios de intensidade moderada por pelo menos 150 minutos por semana, ou de intensidade alta por 75 minutos [exemplo: caminhar, subir e descer escadas, pedalar, correr e nadar]; (ii) exercícios de força envolvendo os grandes grupamentos musculares pelo menos duas vezes por semana [exemplo: ginástica, musculação e exercícios envolvendo o peso do próprio corpo]; e (iii) exercícios que melhorem o equilíbrio pelo menos duas vezes por semana para minimizar os riscos de queda [exemplo: yoga e dançar]. Além disso, exercícios de flexibilidade e qualquer outro movimento que diminua o tempo em sedentarismo é desejável, sobretudo aqueles que tragam prazer ao idoso (Gluchowski et al, 2022). Essa combinação de exercícios proporciona adaptações mais consistentes que os exercícios aeróbios e de força isoladamente (Cannataro et al, 2022).…”

Mediterranean Diet Adherence Is Associated with Favorable Health-Related Quality of Life, Physical Activity, and Sleep Quality in a Community-Dwelling Greek Older Population

“…World Health Organization standards propose that older adults must engage in at least "150-300 min of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity" "as part of their weekly physical activity" [20]. In fact, a recent study emphasized that older adults are not even aware of these exercise guidelines [21]. Physical activity seems to be associated with greater physical and mental health status and favorable quality of life in older adults, as well as longevity [21][22][23].…”

“…In fact, a recent study emphasized that older adults are not even aware of these exercise guidelines [21]. Physical activity seems to be associated with greater physical and mental health status and favorable quality of life in older adults, as well as longevity [21][22][23]. Frequent physical activity is suggested because of its health benefits concerning cardiometabolic health, excess body weight, cognitive function, and musculoskeletal health [24].…”