ERIC Number: EJ1440148
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Oct
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1981
EISSN: EISSN-1552-6127
Available Date: N/A
Identifying Factors That Influence Physical Activity and Healthy Aging among Older Latino Adults
Elena Luna; Andrew Springer; Denise Herrera; Maria Elena Garcia; Louis Brown; Steven H. Kelder
Health Education & Behavior, v51 n5 p700-709 2024
Background: For older Latinos, some benefits of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) include enhanced cognitive functioning, decreased loneliness, and reduced premature mortality. Despite LTPA benefits, adults [greater than or equal to]50 years are one of the most inactive age groups in the United States. Methods: This qualitative study aimed to add to the limited evidence of LTPA in older Latino adults by exploring the barriers and facilitators for fitness class uptake and park use. Guided by a Social-Ecological Model of Health and Social Determinants of Health theoretical and a phenomenological research design, qualitative research data were collected via 27 personal interviews with Latino adults using a semistructured interview guide. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling strategies in collaboration with community partners. Bicultural data collectors conducted the semistructured interviews over Zoom. Thematic analysis was performed using Dedoose, following an inductive and deductive approach. Results: The main barriers to fitness class attendance and park use were family and/or work commitments, perceived safety, and perceived discrimination. Conversely, the critical facilitators for participation were socialization into a group, social connectedness with group members, fitness instructor characteristics, and exercise history. Conclusions: Findings from this study hold important implications for the design of fitness programming and park-based recreation, including the need to increase the cultural diversity of recreation staff and culturally relevant programming. Future research is needed on time poverty related to family/work commitments and whether discriminatory practices at fitness centers, like ageism and race/ethnicity, influence physical activity behavior.
Descriptors: Hispanic Americans, Older Adults, Aging (Individuals), Psychological Patterns, Cognitive Ability, Leisure Time, Death, Physical Activity Level, Barriers, Phenomenology, Adults, Physical Fitness, Exercise, Parks, Socialization, Program Design, Culturally Relevant Education, Time Management, Family Work Relationship, Social Bias, Race, Ethnicity, Diversity, Recreational Activities, Safety, Participant Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A