Investigating the amount of physical activity and its related factors based on the model of the stages of change in the elderly members of the Rasht Retirees Center in 2013

Dissertation to receive a master's degree in nursing education

(community health orientation)

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity is one of the most important components of a healthy lifestyle, and identifying various psychosocial variables affecting physical activity is of particular importance.

Purpose: This study was conducted with the aim of determining the amount of physical activity and factors related to it based on the model of stages of change in the elderly members of the Rasht Retired Center in 2019.

Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 262 elderly members of the active centers of national retirees in Rasht city in 2011. To collect information, the standard questionnaire of the stages of change model in the field of physical activity (stages of change, processes of change, balance in decision making, self-efficacy) and the physical activity questionnaire of the elderly were used during the interview. In order to analyze the data, SPSS 16 statistical software and descriptive statistical tests and Spearman and Pearson correlation tests, ANOVA, linear and rank regression were used, considering the significance level of P < 0.05. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the physical activity of the elderly was 119.35±51.50. The majority of the studied units were in the maintenance stage. There was a direct and significant statistical relationship between physical activity, the stages of change and the structures of the stages of change except for the perceived barriers (P < 0.0001), the regression analysis showed that the stages of change and retirement age and the duration of retirement are predictors of physical activity behavior, and also the structures of change mechanisms, self-efficacy and balance in decision-making are important predictors of the stages of physical activity behavior change.

Conclusion: the amount of activity The physical activity of the elderly in the current study was at the level of light sports such as walking, and in terms of the stages of change in the transtheoretical model, the elderly were in the stage of maintaining physical activity behavior. It seems that by using behavioral processes to change the behavior of physical activity such as mutual qualification and It is possible to prevent the return of behavior to the previous stages and the failure of physical activity.

Key words: exercise, motor activity, elderly, transtheoretical model

Statement of the research problem:

Aging is a vital phenomenon that includes everyone and is actually a Garlic is a natural process in which physiological and psychological changes occur in the body (1). Aging is a sensitive period of human life and paying attention to the issues and needs of this stage is a social necessity. Population control through birth control and, on the other hand, advances in technology to increase life expectancy have changed the structure of the population towards old age (2).

The successful implementation of the family planning program, the expansion of primary health care, the improvement of economic and social conditions, and finally the emergence of new technology for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases has led to an increase in the population of people over 60 years of age, who are called elderly according to the definition of the World Health Organization (3).

The aging of the population is a measure by which the degree of growth and development of the society can be understood. Although there is no exact criterion and criteria for the aging of the population, unlike its youth (such as the Wertheim test), demographic statistics indicate that the proportion of people over 65 years old in the total population is between 1 and 5 percent for developing countries, while it is 10 to 16 percent for advanced industrialized countries (4). The naming of 1999 as the International Year of the Elderly by the United Nations and the allocation of the World Health Organization's slogan as "Healthy Aging" means that healthy aging is the right of all human beings, and not paying attention to it will put the human society in front of very complex and perhaps unsolvable issues and problems in the near future, highlighting the importance of the phenomenon of aging and the prevention of its problems (2). Also, the motto of 2012 of the World Health Organization is healthy life, longer life with the theme of aging and health.One of the important effects of the population transition phase (decrease in birth rate and death rate and ultimately decrease in population growth) is its effect on the age structure and increase in the average age of the population. A decrease in the death rate followed by a decrease in the number of births increases life expectancy and increases the elderly population (4).

In a survey conducted on the population of Iran in 2007, the life expectancy for Iranian men and women was estimated at 72.2 and 73.9 respectively (5).

According to the report of the World Health Organization, for every child born in developing countries There are 10 elderly people aged 65 and over, and it is estimated that this number will reach 15 in 2020. In 2006, the United Nations estimated the total number of elderly people in the world at 687,923,000, which will reach 1,968,153,000 in 2050 (6). In Iran, surveys and statistical indicators indicate the rapid growth of the aging population; It is predicted that there will be an explosion in the elderly population in our country in 1410. The phenomenon of the increase in the elderly population is one of the most important economic, social and health challenges of the 21st century (7). According to the 2015 census, Iran has become an elderly country with more than 2.7% of elderly people over 60 years old (3). In 2013, the Iranian elderly population has reached 8.8%, which has an average annual growth of 3.9%(4). The results of the 2015 census show that currently 77.8% of the population of Gilan province is elderly, therefore Gilan province is the oldest and Sistan and Baluchistan province is the youngest province with 4.89% of the total population(8). Physical and mental disabilities, their individual independence is threatened (3). About two-thirds of elderly people, in addition to the changes resulting from aging in the structure and function of body parts, also suffer from chronic diseases and reduced ability and performance. During this period, physical diseases such as heart and vascular diseases, brain and cancer have a high prevalence (3). Siam also reported in a study that the most common disease in Gilan nursing home was cardiovascular disease, 25.8% in women and 18.8% in men (9). Inappropriate lifestyle is one of the influencing factors in the occurrence of chronic diseases such as colon cancer, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, liver cirrhosis, stomach ulcers, AIDS and cardiovascular diseases. By choosing a lifestyle to maintain and improve one's health and prevent diseases, a person performs actions and activities such as following a proper diet, sleep and activity, exercise, body weight control, not smoking and alcohol consumption, and immunization against diseases that make up this lifestyle. Health requires promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The importance of lifestyle is more important because it affects the quality of life and disease prevention. To maintain and improve health, correcting and improving lifestyle is necessary (10). One of the most important components of lifestyle, especially in old age, is regular physical activity (11). In the United States, 60% of adults do not participate in a regular exercise program, and 31% of these people do not exercise at all. This issue is different in the case of the elderly, so that 66% of the elderly over 75 do not participate in any regular physical activity (12). Salehi's study (2010) in Tehran showed that 30.25% of the elderly do not participate in any regular physical activity (13).

The importance of physical activity as a tool to maintain independence in the elderly has been raised through many studies over the past 20 years (6). The results of a national survey in Iran show that the prevalence of inactivity in urban and rural areas, emphasizing physical activity during leisure time, among women and men aged 64-15 years was 76.3% and 58.8%, respectively (14).

According to the statistics provided by the World Health Organization, the burden of disease caused by inactivity in the Eastern Mediterranean region in 2000 AD, 1,240,000 deaths and 1,243,000 lost years of life are estimated (15).