Research Information System
Yaşlılıkta Kanıta Dayalı Fiziksel Aktivite, Kaunas, Lithuania, 18 - 19 April 2024, pp.40-41, (Full Text)
Physical activity is crucial for the well-being of community-dwelling older adults. It is an essential
component of a healthy lifestyle, especially for this demographic (Macera et al., 2016). However,
there are various barriers that can impede their engagement in physical activity. These barriers
include chronic health problems, fear of falling, inadequate environmental support, and a lack of
self-efficacy about exercise (Watts et al., 2018). The level of physical activity among older adults is
influenced by various factors, including gender and education level (Dyck et al., 2015). Hence, the
purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between educational attainment levels and
genders with respect to perceived physical activity constraints. The research sample comprised 139
older women and 108 men residing in the community. Among the participants, 105 had completed
primary school, 35 had attained secondary school education, 57 had graduated from high school,
and 47 had received their education from higher education institutions. The data were analyzed
using a two-way MANOVA. The 2-way MANOVA results indicated a significant main effect on
perceived physical activity constraints by gender (p = 0.044), educational attainment (p=0.005), and
interaction between the two (p=0.042). The follow-up ANOVA indicated that older adults who
graduated from higher institutions had significantly lower constraints scores than primary school
graduates in body perception, income, family, skill perception, and willpower subscales with
Bonferroni adjusted values. The follow-up pairwise comparisons also indicated that women had
significantly higher constraints scores in the facility and social environment subscales compared to
community-dwelling older men. These results suggest that demographic characteristics play a
crucial role in shaping individuals' perceptions of the environment and its impact on physical
activity engagement. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that consider
demographic factors to effectively address perceived barriers and promote physical activity in this
population.--population.