Older adults are the fastest growing age group of the population in the US, yet they are
the least physically active group compared to the others. The Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, and the American Heart Association, all recommend that older adults should spend
at least 30 minutes, five days per week doing moderate-intensity physical activity or 20 minutes
of vigorous-intensity activity on at least three days per week to maintain good functional fitness.
With respect to the amount (steps) of daily physical activity, there are few recommendations. A
general consensus suggests that to remain healthy and maintain functional fitness, older adults
should attain between 6,000 and 8,500 steps per day. One hundred and seven women aged 60 –
80 years old (73.23 ± 7.73 yrs) were asked to wear an accelerometer during all waking hours for
two weeks. Daily physical activity was monitored for 2 weeks, variables analyzed were steps and
intensity of physical movement ranging from low to high intensity.
Evaluating the descriptive statistics of this study and comparing them to the suggested
adult of physical activity levels (Sedentary = 2000-4999, Low Active = 5000-7499, Somewhat
Active= 7500-9,999, Active = 10,000 - 12,999, and Highly Active = 13,000 or more), no age
group was Active. Even when evaluating the mean of participant’s one high day, the two most
active age-groups (60s and 70s) were only considered Somewhat Active at approximately 8,200
daily steps. This 8,200 daily step rate does meet the older adult recommendations suggested by
more recent research. With respect to the recommendation about the intensity level of physical,
no group met this goal. The highest 5-day average was achieved by the 70-year old group at just
over 16 minutes, followed by the 60-year olds at just over 14 minutes. The 80 year old group
engaged in the least amount of moderate intensity activity with their highest average at just over
13 minutes once per week. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Program of Gerontology.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:WICHITA/oai:soar.wichita.edu:10057/3469 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Baradaran-Amini, Sahar |
| Contributors | Rogers, Nicole L. |
| Publisher | Wichita State University |
| Source Sets | Wichita State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ix, 57 p. |
| Rights | Copyright Sahar Baradaran-Amini, 2010. All rights reserved |
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