37: Impact of retirement on physical activity
37: Impact of retirement on physical activity
Top line: Public health and other sector initiatives (eg transport) that encourage people to become more physically active should be targeted at those who are about to retire. Most adults do not achieve the levels of physical activity recommended for a healthy lifestyle. There is a linear decline of activity levels with age, yet physical activity has many health benefits for older adults. If these are to be more widely adopted among older people, health and other public policy areas require an understanding of the factors that influence decreasing activity with age. One study examined the patterns of physical activity of 699 participants in the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study who were aged 60 years when interviewed in 1991 and followed up four to five years later.1 It examined the factors that influenced whether or not the subjects achieved currently recommended levels of activity.
