Despite the research on exercise in the elderly, older adults' interpretations of exercise and how these interpretations affect exercise behavior are not well understood. Older adults’ prior exercise experiences influence these interpretations and ultimately affect exercise maintenance. The self-regulation of exercise maintenance model posits that episode-specific and general beliefs and perceptions (interpretations) influence exercise behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in interpretations of exercise in older adults based on prior exercise behavior. Older adults who report more exercise behavior were hypothesized to score more positively on measures of episode-specific and general interpretations of exercise than older adults who report less exercise behavior. Two hundred fifteen older adults (64-88 years, 75.3% female) reported baseline prior-year exercise behavior through a standardized questionnaire. After a 2-week exercise training program, participants completed episode-specific and general interpretations of exercise instruments. Exercise behavior was dichotomized: high exercisers above the median, low exercisers below the median. High exercisers reported higher perceptions of energy (5.96 vs. 5.51, p=.021), life enhancement (3.12 vs. 3.01, p=.023), and overall psychological outlook (3.21 vs. 3.03, p=.003) than low exercisers. Supplemental analysis showed that when controlling for age, high exercisers continued to report greater life enhancement (p=.021) and psychological outlook (p=.023), while low exercisers reported more intense sweating during exercise (2.17 vs. 1.91, p=.022). Women reported clearer thinking (p=.004), more social support (p=.000), and more concentration on their movements (p=.000) and greater enjoyment of music (p=.000) during exercise. Men reported feeling greater pleasure and value from sweating (p=.004) and straining (p=.000), but found stretching more futile (p=.004). These results support earlier findings that older adults' beliefs and interpretations of exercise activity influence behavior. While more investigation is needed, these findings support interventions that modify interpretations of exercise to improve older adults’ exercise behavior.
Session #1173 - Physical Activity and Patient Outcomes
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)