Publication:

Determinants of physical activity among middle aged and elderly

Background Physical activity is an important role to avoid non-communicable diseases. This study aims to find out the determinants associated with physical activity among middle aged and elderly.

Methods This study used a cross-sectional design on aged 45-year-old respondent that lived in DKI Jakarta. Data collection was carried out for 6 months through interviews conducted by enumerators with recording answers using g-form. Physical activity data was obtained by interviewing activities conducted by respondents in the last 7 days which will then be categorized into heavy, moderate, and low. The physical activity questionnaire used the global physical activity questioner, and the other variables were assessed through interviews with categorized results. Data processed using SPSS through descriptive data, to assess data’s frequency and correlation by looking at the magnitude of the relationship.

Results Correlation assessed with gamma test as the data was categorical with more than 3 groups and was not normally distributed. There was a significant association between physical activity and work (p=0.001), comorbid amounts (p=0.001), and body mass index (p=0.011) with a fairly strong correlation. Hypertension and joint disease are common diseases (33%) acquired among middle aged and elderly.

Conclusions There is a relationship between physical activity and work, the number of comorbidities, and body mass indexes with a fairly strong relationship. Interviews directly with respondents can lead to better data.