The Influence of the Built Environment and Other Factors on the Physical Activity of Older Women from Different Ethnic Communities

Abstract

Inactivity has been identified as a major contributor to the burden of disease in older women. Study aims were: (a) to assess the personal, social, and environmental facilitators and impediments to physical activity in older women from ethnic communities; and (b) to determine the factors associated with physical activity participation. Older women (aged 60-84 years) were recruited from the local Italian (n = 20), Vietnamese (n = 26) and Anglo-Celtic (n = 26) communities. A survey questionnaire was administered in the participants' preferred language. The most common barriers were: "I am not in good health," "I am self-conscious about my looks," "I am too tired," "I don't have time," and "The weather is bad." When comparing the ethnic groups, the Vietnamese women reported fewer barriers than the Italian women (2.6 vs. 5.9). While the Vietnamese women were much more likely to report being "self-conscious about my looks," the Italian women more commonly reported poor health, being too tired, and not liking exercise as barriers. Overall, those living alone were more likely to be active and those who reported fear of injury, less active. Recognizing ethnospecific differences in the prevalence of barriers may be important when devising strategies to increase activity levels of older women.

A Systematic Literature Review of Sport and Physical Activity Participation in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Migrant Populations

“…For example, in a study of older people (M = 72 years) from seven different cultural groups there was no difference found between the reported amount of physical activity by men and women indicating that gender was not a significant correlate of physical activity in this population [51]. Being unmarried [53,54] or living alone [55] was associated with higher levels of physical activity for women. Furthermore, one study found that rural women were less physically active than urban women [56].…”

“…Specific motivators for engaging in sports and physical activity differed according to cultural group, but some common motivators included maintaining physical health [44,68,75], managing chronic disease A review of sport and physical activity in culturally and linguistically diverse migrants 14 [76,77] and socialising [55,58,77]. Generally, the greater the number of motives an individual cited, the greater was their participation in sports and physical activity [37,65].…”

“…Based on the results of the review, this paper also provides some considerations for further research and intervention program development. The quantitative literature indicates that a vast number of general and unique correlates exist for CALD migrant groups [e.g., 55,88,91,96,97]. In addition, some of the qualitative literature suggests that complex interactions between these correlates may occur for this group [e.g., 43,44,71,95].…”

Neighborhood Disorder and Physical Activity among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study

“…Physical disorder-the deterioration of urban landscapes [8]-may be an important and modifiable barrier to physical activity, particularly walking, among older adults [9][10][11][12]. However, the quantitative evidence base that physical disorder acts as such a barrier is limited.…”

Physical environmental factors that invite older adults to walk for transportation

“…To assess engagement in different PA domains and total PA, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ, long form, last 7 days, interview version) was adapted (a separate question targeting cycling for recreation was added) and used. The IPAQ has been validated in older adults (Hurtig-Wennlof, Hagstromer, & Olsson, 2010) and has been used in several previous studies in older adults (Berke, Koepsell, Moudon, Hoskins, & Larson, 2007;Bird, et al, 2009;Salvador, et al, 2010).…”