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Differential Determinants of Men's and Women's Everyday Physical Activity in Later Life

Departments of ¹ Community Health Sciences and ² Psychology; and ³ Centre on Aging and the Health, Leisure, & Human Performance Research Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

Address correspondence to Judith G. Chipperfield, Duff Roblin Building, University of Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2. E-mail: chipper{at}ms.umanitoba.ca

Objectives. The present study of a representative sample of older adults quantified everyday physical activity (EPA) by having participants wear actigraphs. Our objectives were to examine whether poor health may partly explain why older adults become less physically active with advancing age and whether gender might moderate the extent to which health status predicts EPA.

Methods. We performed multiple regression analyses on a sample of older, community-dwelling adults (aged 80–98 years, N = 198; women = 63.1%).

Results. The results imply that age-related declines in EPA may be partially accounted for by health (in men) and by living arrangements (in women).

Discussion. We consider reasons why poorer health might erode EPA for men (but not women) and why living alone might erode EPA for women (but not men).

Key Words: Activity • Actigraph • Gender • Health • Living arrangements