Staying active during middle age and older age takes more than just motivation, especially for women in care-taking roles. This survey looked at the factors which influence women's levels of exercise and found, not surprisingly, that women who were actively engaged in care-giving cited fatigue as a reason for not exercising.

Their duties left them with less time for exercise. Neighborhoods also influenced the likelihood that women would exercise. Women who lived in neighborhoods that felt unsafe listed fears for their personal safety as an obstacle to exercise, while women who lived in areas with enjoyable scenery reported that they were more likely to exercise.

Women 40 years of age and older participated in this 1999 survey as part of a larger U.S. study of women's health. The 2,912 women in this study lived in several cities across the country and spanned several decades in age. 39% were 40 to 49 year old, 26% were 50 to 59 years of age, and the remaining 25% were 60 or older. The women were from four ethnic groups - African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and White. Researchers wanted to include Asian-Americans, but had a difficult time contacting enough women due to language barriers. Women were interviewed over the telephone, and the interviews were spread out over an entire year to allow for normal changes in exercise levels during different seasons.

Women were divided into two main categories based upon their levels of physical activity over the past two weeks. They were classified as sedentary if they had not participated in any sports or exercise, or had not done household activities that increased their heart rate.

The women were considered active if they had done physical activity that increased their heart rate as a result of either:

• at least three 20-minute sessions of jogging-running, hiking, biking, swimming, or dance, or
• at least three 30-minute sessions of walking, gardening, or yard work

Women who exercised less were combined with the active group in order to better understand the challenges faced by women in the separate sedentary group.

The women were asked about various factors that might affect older women's levels of physical activity, including their education level, family income, overall health and physical limitations, as well as whether they preferred to exercise on their own or as part of an exercise group with a leader. The participants were also asked questions about characteristics of their neighborhood. Were certain things present in their neighborhoods: sidewalks, heavy traffic, hills, streetlights, unattended dogs, enjoyable scenery, or high levels of crime? Did they frequently see others exercising? Women were specifically asked if they felt safe exercising in their neighborhoods, because beliefs about safety can be just as important as the actual crime rate.

What did the women say about exercise preferences and the barriers to physical activity? The majority of women (62%) prefered to exercise on their own with some instruction rather than in a group with a full-time instructor. The two main obstacles reported most often by women, regardless of their ethnicity, were care-giving duties and a lack of energy for exercise. One-quarter of the White women said that lack of time was slightly more of an obstacle, but care-giving duties were second on their list.

Care-giving was named by many women as a major obstacle to maintaining physical activity. One-quarter of the Hispanic women in the study cited care-giving duties as their primary barrier to exercise. A similar finding about the challenges faced by women in care-giving roles came out of a 1999 survey of women in 15 European Union countries ¹ , and points to the need to explore ways in which older women can remain active while caring for family members.

The sedentary women in the survey said they were often tired and lacked the energy to exercise. These women were also older, less educated, and reported poorer health. American Indian/Alaska Native women exercised the least, saying they lacked both time and energy. All the women showed a tendency to be less activity with increased age, but only the White women showed a marked decline in activity from their 40s to their 60s. This should be interpreted cautiously, however, as White women overall were among the most active. It might be that, as they grow older, their exercise levels decrease to the same levels as those of 60 to 70-year-old women in other ethnic groups.

Which comes first - being tired or not exercising? Since the survey asked women about exercise at only one point in time, it's not possible to answer that question. But it is clear that fatigue stemming from health problems, family duties, or extra hours of work to compensate for lower education (and the resulting lower income) makes it challenging to maintain a healthy level of physical activity.

Women's neighborhoods seem to be important in helping maintain activity levels. The more active women reported having hills and enjoyable scenery. They also reported that they frequently saw other people exercising. The researchers speculated that there are two possible reasons why being near hills helps. First, hills can contribute by making the landscape more interesting. Second, women who exercise in hilly areas may feel more satisfied with their physical effort than from walking or jogging on flat terrain.

Neighborhoods were also an obstacle for women who did not feel safe enough to walk or jog. The vast majority of Hispanic (79%) and White (81%) women said they felt safe, but fewer African-American and American Indian/Alaska Native women could say the same thing. In fact, almost one-third of the African-American women reported that feeling unsafe was their main obstacle to exercise.

Can exercise level be predicted based on what was learned from women in this study? Researchers can't say for certain what will help or hinder the maintenance of physical activity over time without actually following women over several months or even years. But information from this survey helps by pointing out the areas where women may need the most help - such as finding short breaks from care-giving roles. The survey also helps to show that women need exercise programs tailored to assist in overcoming the barriers that most affect their particular ethnic group.

Comment

As women age, it takes more than just motivation to maintain healthy levels of physical activity. It is important to recognize that the ability to exercise is influenced by various factors such as whether a woman is in the role of care-giver, or if she lives in an unsafe neighborhood.

Women who are burdened by care-giving are already under a lot of stress. Since exercise is certainly helpful in maintaining health and reducing stress, we need to explore ways in which this group of women can be better helped to exercise. Likewise, women who experience their neighborhoods as unsafe are also in need of improved ways to promote their activity level.

Research shows that home-based exercise regimens are often preferred by people, especially when they are trying to make long term changes in their activity levels. One study even documented the effectiveness of home based exercise regimens in helping to keep lost weight off. (See link to the article: Sticking with the program). For women who feel that they cannot get away from their homes or who feel unsafe outside, home based exercise might a good option.

Source

Personal and environmental factors associated with physical inactivity among different racial-ethnic groups of U.S. middle-aged and older-aged women
AC. King, C. Castro, S. Wilcox, Health Psychology, 2000, vol. 19, pp. 354--364

Links

• For more information on ways to successfully exercise in the long run "Sticking with the program"
• The hidden cost of caregiving
• Physical Activity : Antidote To Aging

Strong Women Strong Bones, by M. Nelson, Ph.D.

Footnotes

1.

Perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity in a nationally representative sample in the European Union
HJF Zunft, D Friebe, B Seppelt, Public Health Nutrition , 1999, vol. 2, pp. 153--160