- Email: [email protected]
Validity of active Australia physical activity questions in older adults
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2010 Asics Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport / Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 13S (2010) e1–e107
a free 3-month gym program. Both groups of men reported that they had poor health, financial barriers, were unfamiliar with community PA facilities and programs, had limited social support, and lived in unsafe neighbourhoods. Participation in PA for inactive men was compounded by their inability to cope with their poor health and as a result they felt disconnected from life; they did not identify positive PA outcomes for various reasons including limited exposure to PA in childhood and negative experiences in school physical education; they seemed consumed by stressful life situations; and had little trust for medical personnel or insight into their bodies. Active men generally reported the inverse of these barriers, however, they also identified barriers to existing programs such as the exclusive culture of PA facilities. Conclusion: It is important that personal circumstances are understood to gain trust and set realistic goals and outcomes for men from low SES communities. Physical activity programs must address financial and cultural barriers to participation in PA.
women (mean age = 72 years, SD = 6) completed the AAS. Median daily walking minutes were 34.4 (IQR 17.1, 60.0), and median daily total PA minutes were 72.9 (IQR 35.6, 120.0). Both walking minutes and total PA minutes were significantly correlated with pedometer steps (Spearman correlation r = 0.42, for each, p < 0.01). Total PA minutes were significantly correlated with physical function scores (r = .38, p < 0.001), but walking minutes were not (r = 0.14). Neither walking minutes nor total PA minutes were significantly correlated with BMI (r = −0.13 and −0.15, respectively). Conclusions: This initial examination of the psychometric properties of the AAS for older adults suggests that this surveillance tool has adequate criterion validity for ambulatory older adults.
doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.10.576
Physical activity and psychological distress in older men: Findings from the NSW 45 and Up Study
116
E. George 1,∗ , L. Jorm 2 , G. Kolt 1 , H. Bambrick 2 , S. Lujic 2
Validity of active Australia physical activity questions in older adults K. Heesch 1,∗ , R. Hill 2 , J. van Uffelen 2 , W. Brown 2 1 Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland
University of Technology, Australia 2 School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Australia Introduction: The Active Australia physical activity survey (AAS) is used for physical activity (PA) surveillance in the general Australian adult population. Given the ageing of the population and the health benefits of PA for older adults, this group should be included in PA surveillance and, for comparison with younger adults, be asked the same PA surveillance questions. However, the appropriateness of the AAS for older adults has not been evaluated. Our aim was to examine the criterion validity of the AAS questions in older adults. Three criterion measures were used: pedometer step counts, body mass index (BMI), and selfreported physical function. Methods: Participants were 51 community-dwelling adults, aged 65–89 years, who reported the ability to walk at least 100 m. They completed a selfadministered version of the AAS as part of a larger study of older adults. They also completed a physical function survey (SF-36 function scale) and had their weight and height measured, for calculating BMI. During the 7 days prior to the interview, participants each wore a YAMAX Digiwalker SW200 pedometer and recorded their daily steps in a diary. Using the AAS data, daily walking minutes and daily total PA minutes (walking, moderate-intensity PA, vigorous-intensity PA) were compared with the three criterion measures using Spearman rank-order correlations. Results: 26 men and 25
doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.10.577 117
1 School
of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Australia 2 School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Australia Introduction: The ageing population places significant strain on healthcare systems and poses a substantial economic burden worldwide. Whilst many governments encourage older adults to remain active, participating in enough physical activity to afford health benefits can be challenging. Participation in regular physical activity has been associated with a range of health benefits, including improved mental health and, in particular, a reduction of depressive symptoms. Studies examining this association in older men are, however, sparse. The aims of this study were to: examine the association between levels of physical activity and psychological distress in older men; determine whether this association varied with remoteness of residence; and establish whether any confounding or mediating factors contributed to this association. Methods: This representative sample comprised 17,689 men aged 65 years and over, drawn from the 45 and Up Study—a longitudinal cohort study providing data on a broad range of health and demographic characteristics in approximately 260,000 participants from across New South Wales, Australia. Baseline data on physical activity (Active Australia Survey) and psychological distress (Kessler-10) were used in this study for cross-sectional analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression. Results: A total of 5% of men within the sample experienced high/very high levels of psychological distress, with this proportion being highest in men aged ≥85 years (6.8%). A total of 4.7% of participants reported participating in no sessions of physical activity in the past week. This proportion increased with age (12.9% of men aged ≥85) and was
2010 Asics Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport / Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 13S (2010) e1–e107
a free 3-month gym program. Both groups of men reported that they had poor health, financial barriers, were unfamiliar with community PA facilities and programs, had limited social support, and lived in unsafe neighbourhoods. Participation in PA for inactive men was compounded by their inability to cope with their poor health and as a result they felt disconnected from life; they did not identify positive PA outcomes for various reasons including limited exposure to PA in childhood and negative experiences in school physical education; they seemed consumed by stressful life situations; and had little trust for medical personnel or insight into their bodies. Active men generally reported the inverse of these barriers, however, they also identified barriers to existing programs such as the exclusive culture of PA facilities. Conclusion: It is important that personal circumstances are understood to gain trust and set realistic goals and outcomes for men from low SES communities. Physical activity programs must address financial and cultural barriers to participation in PA.
women (mean age = 72 years, SD = 6) completed the AAS. Median daily walking minutes were 34.4 (IQR 17.1, 60.0), and median daily total PA minutes were 72.9 (IQR 35.6, 120.0). Both walking minutes and total PA minutes were significantly correlated with pedometer steps (Spearman correlation r = 0.42, for each, p < 0.01). Total PA minutes were significantly correlated with physical function scores (r = .38, p < 0.001), but walking minutes were not (r = 0.14). Neither walking minutes nor total PA minutes were significantly correlated with BMI (r = −0.13 and −0.15, respectively). Conclusions: This initial examination of the psychometric properties of the AAS for older adults suggests that this surveillance tool has adequate criterion validity for ambulatory older adults.
doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.10.576
Physical activity and psychological distress in older men: Findings from the NSW 45 and Up Study
116
E. George 1,∗ , L. Jorm 2 , G. Kolt 1 , H. Bambrick 2 , S. Lujic 2
Validity of active Australia physical activity questions in older adults K. Heesch 1,∗ , R. Hill 2 , J. van Uffelen 2 , W. Brown 2 1 Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland
University of Technology, Australia 2 School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Australia Introduction: The Active Australia physical activity survey (AAS) is used for physical activity (PA) surveillance in the general Australian adult population. Given the ageing of the population and the health benefits of PA for older adults, this group should be included in PA surveillance and, for comparison with younger adults, be asked the same PA surveillance questions. However, the appropriateness of the AAS for older adults has not been evaluated. Our aim was to examine the criterion validity of the AAS questions in older adults. Three criterion measures were used: pedometer step counts, body mass index (BMI), and selfreported physical function. Methods: Participants were 51 community-dwelling adults, aged 65–89 years, who reported the ability to walk at least 100 m. They completed a selfadministered version of the AAS as part of a larger study of older adults. They also completed a physical function survey (SF-36 function scale) and had their weight and height measured, for calculating BMI. During the 7 days prior to the interview, participants each wore a YAMAX Digiwalker SW200 pedometer and recorded their daily steps in a diary. Using the AAS data, daily walking minutes and daily total PA minutes (walking, moderate-intensity PA, vigorous-intensity PA) were compared with the three criterion measures using Spearman rank-order correlations. Results: 26 men and 25
doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.10.577 117
1 School
of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Australia 2 School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Australia Introduction: The ageing population places significant strain on healthcare systems and poses a substantial economic burden worldwide. Whilst many governments encourage older adults to remain active, participating in enough physical activity to afford health benefits can be challenging. Participation in regular physical activity has been associated with a range of health benefits, including improved mental health and, in particular, a reduction of depressive symptoms. Studies examining this association in older men are, however, sparse. The aims of this study were to: examine the association between levels of physical activity and psychological distress in older men; determine whether this association varied with remoteness of residence; and establish whether any confounding or mediating factors contributed to this association. Methods: This representative sample comprised 17,689 men aged 65 years and over, drawn from the 45 and Up Study—a longitudinal cohort study providing data on a broad range of health and demographic characteristics in approximately 260,000 participants from across New South Wales, Australia. Baseline data on physical activity (Active Australia Survey) and psychological distress (Kessler-10) were used in this study for cross-sectional analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression. Results: A total of 5% of men within the sample experienced high/very high levels of psychological distress, with this proportion being highest in men aged ≥85 years (6.8%). A total of 4.7% of participants reported participating in no sessions of physical activity in the past week. This proportion increased with age (12.9% of men aged ≥85) and was