Physical activity, i.e. “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure” (Caspersen, 1985) and physical exercise, i.e. a subcategory of planned, structured, repetitive physical activity aimed at improving or maintaining physical fitness (Caspersen, 1985), are considered necessary behaviours in preserving the state of physical and mental health in the elderly. The literature emphasizes the study of promoting of healthy lifestyles in the over-60s since it is estimated that around 2050 the elderly population will triple worldwide. Aging is associated with an increased risk of several debilitating diseases, such as dementia and cancer, but the most frequent problems are age-related non-pathological changes, including normal cognitive impairments, physical limitations, and loss of partners and friends.
Therefore it seems essential to facilitate maintaining a good quality of life and factors that improve well-being, despite age-related changes.
The scientific literature has shown that active lifestyles reduce the risk of mortality and prevent various chronic diseases. Moreover, especially in the elderly, active lifestyles seems to reduce the risk of falls and help maintain an healthy physical functioning and psychological well-being. In particular, physical activity and exercise have been identified as two important behaviours to promote physical and mental health. Despite the positive effects related to physical activity and exercise, research shows that, globally, one in four adults is not active enough.
For these reasons, the literature has focused on the analysis of the psychological determinants that underlie behaviour that are related to physical activity and exercise, such as the motivation to implement such behaviours, the way in which attitudes, significant others, perceived behavioural control and behavioural intention may affect whether or not to perform physical activity and exercise. Understanding how these factors can affect the implementation of health behaviours is fundamental in guiding the creation of interventions and programs aimed at activating or maintaining intentions to perform physical activity in the elderly.
Publication
- Galli, F., Chirico, A., Mallia, L., Girelli, L., De Laurentiis, M., Lucidi, F., Giordano A., Botti, G. (2018). Active lifestyles in older adults: an integrated predictive model of physical activity and exercise. Oncotarget- Gerotarget, 9(39), pp. 25402-25413. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.25352.
- Galli, F., Chirico, A., Mallia, L., Girelli, L., Lucidi, F. (2017). Le determinanti psicologiche dell’attività fisica e dell’esercizio nella popolazione anziana. Policlinico – Sezione Medica, 124(2), pp. 37-5.
Researchers
