Effect of environmental factors on older people’s participation in physical exercise.

Introduction. Health status, lack of companionship, and motivation are the main reasons that prevent older people from exercising. Yet, environmental factors should not be overlooked. Based upon the social-ecological model, this study aimed to examine the effect of environmental factors on older people's participation in physical activities in Hong Kong. Methods. A total of 514 older people aged 55 and above participated in an exercise facilitation project between November 2020 and January 2022 as service users and volunteers. The participants were invited to complete a structured survey before the project. Physical exercise level was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-short form. The environmental factors consisted of variables related to both the social and physical environment. The level of enjoyment of physical exercise and whether exercise was a habit of the participant were measured. Companionship for exercise and whether there were many people exercising in their nearby neighborhood were measured by two single-item questions. Availability of space and facilities to exercise within 10 to 15-minute walking from your home was treated as the physical environmental factor. Results. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted with the various environmental factors as the dependent variables, while the older people's physical exercise level, sedentary, and sleeping time were the dependent variables. Peer accompaniment to exercise significantly predicted older people's participation in physical activity. Participants aged 75 to 84 and aged 85 and above were less active in participation in physical activity than those aged 55 to 64. No other significant demographic variables were found in participants' sedentary and sleeping behaviors. Conclusions. The social environment is important to older people's participation in physical exercise. Peer companionship and support are crucial in motivating older people to participate in physical activity. Intervention could be focused more on the importance of peer companionship to facilitate older people's exercise behaviors. Conflict of Interest. The authors declare no relevant conflict of interest in relation to this work.