The factors influencing motivation to start exercise among elderly people in an urban area

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to identify the influence of information resources and interpersonal networks on motivation to start exercise among elderly people living in an urban area. Methods: The subjects were 235 elderly people living in an urban area who previously had no exercise habits. We examined their motivation to start exercise as potentially influenced by frequency of interpersonal communication, presence of friends and other persons who invite them to participate in health-promoting activities, having someone to invite to such activities, and the use of information resources. To identify the factors which influence the motivation to start exercise among subjects who did not previously have exercise habits, we used binomial logistic regression. Results: A major factor which influenced the motivation to start exercise was the presence of people who invite subjects to participate in health-promoting activities. This result showed that being invited to health-promoting activities encouraged elderly people to start exercising. Of the covariates, only age negatively influenced the intention to start exercise. The same result was also seen in a subgroup comparative analysis of groups of young and old adults. Conclusion: Being invited to participate in active pursuits was useful to encourage elderly people to start exercise, indicating that intervention at an earlier age would be beneficial.