Older adults benefit from exercising with people in their local area, study finds

Mid and older life adults are choosing to exercise with people of the same age who they live near to and see often, regardless of the quality or quantity of those relationships, according to new research.

The latest study, led by the University of Glasgow, found that adults aged 55 to 75 years old in Scotland were less likely to exercise with people they had known for longer, and more likely with people of the same age, who lived in their local area, and they saw frequently. This suggests they may have a preference for exercising with people they can meet easily rather than those they have close or enduring relationships with.

The paper, “Social network characteristics associated with mid-to-older aged adults’ co-engagement in physical activity,” is published in PLOS One.

The research is part of the Physical Activity, Social Connectedness and Healthy Aging Study (PACES), and uniquely examines the attributes that make people likely to exercise together. The study leads believe their new insights could help with future health and well-being policies for older people in Scotland.

Physical activity is vitally important at all ages, but in older adults, in particular, it can help to reduce the risk of age-related decline, preventing or delaying some diseases and disabilities and ensuring people maintain a good quality of life.

However, levels of physical activity tend to decline as people age, with older age groups having a statistically higher proportion of individuals who are physically inactive or have low activity levels. In Scotland, only 58% of adults aged 55–64 years, and 55% aged 65–74 years, currently meet the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines for physical activity.

Participation in physical activity is known to be influenced by social relationships. Indeed, studies have found that adults who have greater number of friends and social contacts—particularly with people who are more physically active—are more likely to be physically active themselves.

Martin Anderson, lead author and Research Associate at the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, said, “This suggests that rather than needing to have lots of friends and family, or longer and closer relationships, adults in this age group are just as likely to participate in physical activities within the more accessible relationships they find within their demographic and geographic communities.

“This challenges the notion that people need more close friends to be active and can inform interventions to encourage people to be active together in their communities.”