EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH   

Medicina dello Sport 2018 December;71(4):617-26

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.18.03308-2

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Motivation in non-sedentary subjects over fifty age: state of physical and mental health

Teresa IONA ¹ ✉, Rosario SCARFONE ¹, Antonio AMMENDOLIA ¹, Cristina SEGURA-GARCIA ²

¹ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of “Magna Graecia”, Catanzaro, Italy; ² Department of Health Sciences, University of “Magna Graecia”, Catanzaro, Italy

BACKGROUND: Physical activity has been shown to improve both physical and mental health. Since the life expectancy of adults and the elderly has been prolonged, it is important that both mental and physical health be maintained. The reasons for doing physical activity are very different among people, especially over 50 years of age. Our aim was to analyze what motivates adults to do exercise and their self perceived physical and mental health status.
METHODS: The study included 118 participants ([44 men; 74 women], aged 61.1±8.8 years, BMI=26.9±6.7 kg/m2) who answered the SF-36 survey and a physical assessment target questionnaire.
RESULTS: Most participants motivated their physical activity to “stay healthy” (31%) or by “habit” (40%); less frequent motivations were body image (17%), socialization (9%) and fun (4%). Based on Linear Regression Analysis, the independent predictors of the Physical Component Summary (PCS: R2=36.8; F=8.619; P<0.001) were characterized by younger age, lower BMI, aerobic exercise/weight lifting and frequent exercising; aerobic exercise/weight lifting, doing exercise for fun and low body image dissatisfaction were the independent predictors of the Mental Component Summary (MCS: R2=13.3; F=3.008; P=0.003). Neither PCS nor MCS were associated to a specific motivation to exercise.
CONCLUSIONS: The perceived physical and mental health status of people over 50 years of age do not seem to be influenced by the simple motivation to do physical activity, but habit and weight lifting exercise seems to improve both indicators.

KEY WORDS: Life expectancy - Exercise - Motivation