Coauthors: Dr Christa Maria Joel, Dr Hira Zahid, Dr Michael Oludipe, Dr Qudroh, Dr Gilda Philip, Ms Philo Mary Fernandez Module: Effects of Lifestyle on Health Supervisors: Ms Jane Tobias and Dr Daniel Boakye University of the West of Scotland

1. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE
ELDERLY (70 YEARS AND OVER)
PRESENTED BY
PHILO MARY HILLARY FERNANDEZ
HIRA ZAHID
GILDA PHILIP
CHRISTA MARIA JOEL
QUDROH ABISOLA AROWOLO
MICHAEL ENIOLA OLUDIPE

2. OUTLINE
• Introduction.
• Brief description of the population group over 70 years.
• Why physical activity is important and the risk factors.
• Level of physical activity recommended.
• Challenges faced by the elderly and how to overcome them.
• Conclusion
• Poster
• Reference

3. INTRODUCTION
• Topic of todays presentation is physical activity and its importance in the age group 70 years
and above.
• What is Physical Activity? (World Health Organization, 2020)
• Physical activity improve the health status in elderly population (Langhammer, Bergland and
Rydwik, 2018).
• There are several diseases related to sedantary lifestyle in older population.
• Promotion of physical activity (King, 2001)

4. POPULATION GROUP OVER 70 YEARS
• Healthy ageing: one of the key components of health ageing is maintaining
adequate level of physical performance (Rowe, Kahn 1997).
• Physical functioning: primary determinant of quality of life(Hanna Jantunen 2016).
• Modest decline in functional capabilities leads to loss of independence,
institutionalisation, higher healthcare needs and utilisation (Fried, Guralnik 1997).

5. POPULATION OF 70 AND MORE YEARS AND
RELATED RISK FACTORS
• Physical difficulties in older age (Dunsky, 2019).
• Importance of physical activity among older adults (Cacciata et al., 2019).
• Exercise reduced risk of all-cause mortality, chronic disease, and premature death (Mora
and Valencia, 2018).
• Physical activity reduces many major mortality risk factors including arterial hypertension,
diabetes mellitus type 2, dyslipidaemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer (Reuter,
2012)

6. LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDED
FOR ELDERLY POPULATION
• Reduce time spent sitting or lying down with some light activity (NHS,
2019).
• Muscle strengthening activities at least 2 days a week (WHO, 2020)
• 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week OR 75 minutes of
vigorous intensity activity OR combination of both (WHO, 2020)
• 300 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity OR 150 minutes a week
of vigorous activity OR a combination of both (CDC, 2021).

7. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE ELDERLY AND
HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
• Discomfort and pain: Back pain, sore knees, heart and lung disorders- barriers to
exercise and limit motivation. Managed through medication and physical therapy.
• Fear of injury: Legitimate concern for the elderly. Fear of falling is associated with activity
restrictions (Fucahori et al., 2014). Appropriate equipment, assisted devices and
supervision, balance and strength training can assist elderly to reduce their fall risk.
• Fixed income: gym and personal training can be quite expensive for an elder with low
income. Dancing, walking and swimming - good ways to exercise without spending
money.

8. CONCLUSION
• Healthy Living in a 70 plus year old adult = Physical activities.
• Physical activity in the elderly is the key to staying alive at an
old age.
• Improves, immune function thereby prevent disease (Best TM &
Asplund CA, 2020).
• PA increase release of Endorphins  Better mental Health
(Victoria J. Harber & John R. Sutton,1984).
• Reduces common joint arthritis and bone pain (Patrick J.
Skerrett, 2013).
Health benefit of recommended level of physical activities
can never be over emphasized.

9. Reduce time spent sitting or lying down with some LIGHT
ACTIVITIES
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDED FOR THE
ELDERLY- 70 YEARS AND ABOVE

10. REFERENCES
• King, A. C. (2001) “Interventions to Promote Physical Activity by Older
Adults,” The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical
Sciences, 56(Supplement 2), pp. 36–46. doi: 10.1093/gerona/56.suppl_2.36.
• Langhammer, B., Bergland, A. and Rydwik, E. (2018) “The Importance of Physical
Activity Exercise among Older People,” BioMed Research International, 2018, pp.
1–3. doi: 10.1155/2018/7856823.
• World Health Organization (2020) Physical activity, Who.int. World Health
Organization: WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-
sheets/detail/physical-activity.

11. • Rowe JW, Kahn RL. Successful aging. Gerontologist 1997; 37: 433–40
• Geirsdottir OG, Arnarson A, Briem K et al. . Physical function predicts improvement
in quality of life in elderly Icelanders after 12 weeks of resistance exercise. J Nutr
Health Aging 2012; 16: 62–6.
• Fried LP, Guralnik JM. Disability in older adults: evidence regarding significance,
etiology, and risk. J Am Geriatr Soc 1997 Jan; 45: 92–100.
• Cacciata, M., Stromberg, A., Lee, J.-A., Sorkin, D., Lombardo, D., Clancy, S.,
Nyamathi, A. and Evangelista, L. S. (2019) “Effect of exergaming on health-related
quality of life in older adults: A systematic review,” International Journal of Nursing
Studies, 93, pp. 30–40. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.01.010.
• Dunsky, A. (2019) “The Effect of Balance and Coordination Exercises on Quality of
Life in Older Adults: A Mini-Review,” Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 11. doi:
10.3389/fnagi.2019.00318.

12. • Mora, J. C. and Valencia, W. M. (2018) “Exercise and Older Adults,” Clinics in Geriatric
Medicine, 34(1), pp. 145–162. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.08.007.
• Reuter, I. (2012) “Aging, Physical Activity, and Disease Prevention 2012,” Journal of Aging
Research, 2012, pp. 1–4. doi: 10.1155/2012/373294.
• Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2021). How much physical activity do older
adults need? Available from:
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/older_adults/index.htm
• World Health Organisation (2020). Physical activity. Available from:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
• NHS (2019). Physical activity guidelines for older people. Available from:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-older-adults/

13. • Fucahori, FS, Lopes, AR, Correia, JJA, da Silva, CK, Trelha, CS (2014). Fear of falling
and activity restriction in older adults from the urban community of Londrina: a cross
sectional study. Fisioter Mov Curitiba, 27(3), pp.379-387
• Best, TM, Asplund, CA (2020). NIFS(National Institute for Fitness and Sport Fitness
Center Management)
• Skerrett, PJ (2013). Havard Health- Exercise is good, not bad, for arthritis.
• Harber, VJ, Sutton, JR (1984). Endorphins and exercise.