Background: There is limited knowledge regarding to what extent the older population meet the recommendations of physical exercise, especially fitness-enhancing exercise. This study assessed participation in health- and fitness-enhancing exercises in people aged >65, and explored to what extent the possible differences in meeting current recommendations differs by age, gender and education.
Methods: The study population was derived from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care, and consisted of a random sample of 2593 subjects, aged 65+ years. Participation in health- and fitness-enhancing exercise according to the WHO and the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendations in relation to age, gender and education was evaluated using multinomial logistic regression adjusted for health indicators and physical performance.
Results: According to the recommendations, 46% of the participants fulfilled the criteria for health-enhancing and 16% for fitness-enhancing exercises. Independent of health indicators and physical performance, women <80 years of age were less likely than men to participate in fitness-enhancing exercise, but they participated more in health-enhancing exercise. In the advanced age group (80+ years), women were less likely to participate both in fitness- and health-enhancing exercise. Advanced age and low education were negatively related to participation in both health- and fitness-enhancing exercise independent of health indicators, but the association was not observed among people with fast walking speed.
Conclusion: Promoting physical exercise and encouraging participation among older adults with lower education, especially among those with initial functional decline, may help to reduce adverse health outcomes.