Barriers to physical activity among older adults in "Centros Día" in a Colombian City

Abstract

There is increasing interest in studying and intervening in different aspects of ageing to maintain and improve people's functioning. As people age, their relationship with the environment can be affected for various reasons, such as physical deterioration, lack of physical activity, difficulties in moving due to the characteristics of the environment (home, neighborhood, or city) and loss of social relationships. The aim of this work is to identify the barriers of the neighborhood environment that hinder physical activity among older adults in "Centros Día" in a municipality of Colombia. For this purpose, a quantitative, observational, prospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was designed with the participation of older adults between 60 and 89 years of age, residents of an urban area. A total of 132 older adult users of the municipal "Centros Día" participated, considering the characteristics of the neighborhood. Data were collected through a structured interview, the IMIAS questionnaire and the Leganés cognitive test. The results show that the highest percentage (52.3%) is in the age group of 66-79 years. The majority are women, married and widowed, with primary education and an income of the legal minimum wage. The value of the chi-square statistic is 323.868 and the significance is 0.000 for obstacles to walking on uneven sidewalks and in safe and easily accessible parks. Public transportation does not meet the needs of the elderly. Public transportation is not adapted to the needs of the elderly. Littering and drinking on the street and in public places is a serious problem. The results of local and international studies confirmed that low educational level is a long-term risk and dependency factor, and that low economic income makes it difficult to move around different spaces, limits access to public transportation and reduces the frequency with which one can go shopping or engage in other leisure activities. The lack of parking and public transportation for people with disabilities affects their mobility in daily life. Public transportation does not meet the quality and safety standards of the facilities, and neighborhood problems affect social gatherings of family, friends, and formal organizations.