Exercise

Indicator Definition
Adults (ages 65 and older) who participated in any physical activity within the past 30 days.

Older adults who participated in any physical activity within past month in Colorado3

Older adults who participated in any physical activity within past month by income in Colorado4

Indicator Significance
By the age of 75, one in every two women and one in every three men will get no physical exercise. Lacking any meaningful physical activity, their ability to perform basic and normal movement is lost as muscle and bone mass are depleted due to lack of use. An estimated 88 percent of adults 65 and older will have acquired at least one chronic illness that results in some loss of ability to engage in normal physical activities. Physical and social environmental factors, including lack of public transportation, often limit older adults’ access to age-appropriate exercise programs. Physicians’ lack of awareness of appropriate fitness routines for older adults may also serve as an impediment, particularly for those with one or more chronic illnesses. With the projected growth in the older adult population, the number of older adults with chronic conditions resulting from inactivity is likely to increase.¹

Colorado Specifics
Colorado ranks an impressive fifth in the proportion of older adults who participated in at least some physical activity in the last month. Nevertheless, there has been no discernible improvement in this indicator since 2000 and the state is below the Healthy People 2010 target of 80 percent. As with physical activity indicators for other age groups, older men are more likely to participate in physical activity than women (77 percent vs. 72 percent in 2008). Also, older adults in the higher-income groups are more likely to participate in physical activity than lower-income older adults. While higher income makes favorite Colorado activities such as golf and skiing more accessible, there is no “entrance fee” to taking a few long walks each week.

Promising Initiatives
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) partnered with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 2001 to create a statewide physical activity and nutrition program to prevent obesity called Colorado on the Move. The program promotes community-based programs that encourage small behavioral changes over time to achieve long-term healthy results. Participants are encouraged to walk 2,000 steps a day, using pedometers or step counters to measure their progress. Each site is asked to develop a 14-week program with incentives for its participants. Depending on the individual site, pedometers may be provided either free of charge or at a reduced cost.²

The program was initially implemented in two communities—a rural site and the Denver Metro Black Church Initiative, a faith-based community of 20 churches. This walking program has been expanded to more than 50 work sites and 12 communities across Colorado, and is part of the state plan to address obesity. It also served as the pilot site for America on the Move, a national version of the program.

Older adults who participated in any physical activity within past month⁵

Color coding: Statistical tests were used to determine if the average for Colorado was significantly different than the averages for other states. States with a medium shade of orange had averages that were not statistically different from Colorado’s average and states colored in a light shade of orange had averages that were statistically different from Colorado’s average.

Text

1. American Society on Aging. “Physical Activity for Older Adults: Exercise for Life!”
   
2. America on the Move
   

Charts

4. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2000–2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
   
5. Source: Colorado Health Institute analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
   
6. Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.