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Correlates of physical activity among community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years or older with anxiety in six low- and middle-income countries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2017

Davy Vancampfort Open the ORCID record for Davy Vancampfort [Opens in a new window] ,
Brendon Stubbs ,
Mats Hallgren ,
Nicola Veronese ,
James Mugisha ,
Michel Probst  and
Ai Koyanagi
Davy Vancampfort*
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Leuven, Belgium KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven-Kortenberg, Belgium
Brendon Stubbs
Affiliation:
Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Mats Hallgren
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Nicola Veronese
Affiliation:
National Research Council, Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch, Padova, Italy
James Mugisha
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Social Administration, Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda Butabika National Referral and Mental Health Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
Michel Probst
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Leuven, Belgium
Ai Koyanagi
Affiliation:
Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Fundació Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Davy Vancampfort, KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Leuven, Belgium. Phone: +32 2 758 05 11; Fax: +32 2 759 9879. Email: davy.vancampfort@kuleuven.be.
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Abstract

Background:

Given the important health benefits of physical activity (PA) and the higher risk for physical inactivity in people with anxiety, and the high prevalence of anxiety and low PA among the elderly, there is a need for research to investigate what factors influence PA participation among anxious older individuals. We investigated PA correlates among community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years with anxiety symptoms in six low- and middle-income countries.

Methods:

Cross-sectional data from the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health were analyzed. PA level was assessed by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. 980 participants with anxiety (mean age 73.3 years; 62.4% females) were grouped into those who do and do not (low PA) meet the 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA per week recommendation. Associations between PA and the correlates were examined using multivariable logistic regressions.

Results:

The prevalence of low PA was 44.9% (95% CI = 39.2–50.7%). Older age, male gender, less consumption of alcohol, mild cognitive impairment, pain, a wide range of somatic co-morbidities, slow gait, weak grip strength, poor self-rated health, and lower levels of social cohesion were identified as significant positive correlates of low PA.

Conclusions:

Our data illustrate that a number of sociodemographic and health factors are associated with PA levels among older people with symptoms of anxiety. The promotion of social cohesion may increase the efficacy of public health initiatives, while from a clinical perspective, somatic co-morbidities, cognitive impairment, pain, muscle strength, and slow gait need to be considered.

Keywords

anxietyphysical activityexercise

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 30 , Issue 5: Issue Theme: Brain Imaging , May 2018 , pp. 705 - 714
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017 

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