Physical activity level among older adultsover 70 years old and very old adults

Abstract Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is an effective strategy to ensure good health in older adults and mitigate the harmful effects of aging. Objective: To compare PA levels in people aged between 70 and 79 years and very old adults. Method: Quantitative, observational, descriptive cross-sectional study, with 343 individuals aged 70 years or older from a medium-sized municipality in western Santa Catarina state (SC). Data were collected using the MMSE, the Morais’ Questionnaire, and the IPAQ-SF. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, X² and Spearman’s correlation. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The average physical activity level among 70 to 79-year-olds was 168.55 (± 146.81) minutes a week and 93.91 (± 122.66) in very old adults. IPAQ classification indicated that a higher percentage of very old adults were sedentary (79.5%), while 67.8% of 70 to 79-year-olds were categorized as active/very active. There was a statistically significant correlation between physical activity level, number of self-reported chronic diseases and number of medications. Conclusion: Older adults between 70 and 79 years old are more active than very old adults; older women are more active than their male counterparts; the increase in the number of chronic diseases and medications taken lowers physical activity level.