MIDDLE-AGED POPULATION PHYSICAL ACTIVITY POSITION CHANGES: DOES KNOWING CHANGE SUBJECTS’ MIND?
Edita Maciulevičienė, Renata Rutkauskaitė Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas
Relevance of the research. In the aging society, life quality is important for an individual because of its direct effect on their working capacity and productivity, since most of working days are lost due to chronic non-communicable diseases (Jankauskienė, 2008). This suggests that in order for people to be physically active and physically independent, it is necessary to take care of their health promotion through various measures (Weiler et al., 2010). Of course, focusing on enhancing people’s health should be imposed on various health promotion (wellness) programmes. The main aim of these programmes should be to change the person’s behaviour by using the impact of the media and the individual measures (Rise, 2004; Roux et al., 2008). Some authors believe that public awareness of an active lifestyle principles promoting and encouraging the continuous realization of it and developing physical fitness, can improve people’s quality of life (Kallings, 2008; Miller & Miller, 2010). Thus, the relevance of the chosen topic is associated with the problem of low physical activity among adult population, which is widely discussed in the scientific literature. It should be noted that there are only few works in which the educational effect would be applied to an individual aiming at changing his/her approach to leisure time physical activity and healthy lifestyle. It would allow evaluating the factors that may influence the effectiveness of their impact. The establishment of such factors and the assessment of their interaction with physical activity is an important scientific problem. The object of the research was the position of Kaunas city middle-aged population regarding their leisure time physical activity. The aim was to assess the changes in the position of Kaunas city middle-aged population regarding their leisure time physical activity.
Research methods and organization. The first (random) sample, which was based on the study participants’ position regarding their physical activity, subjective assessment of their health and health risk factors, included 916 Kaunas city inhabitants aged 35–64 years (394 men and 522 women). The dependent sample consisted of 100 survey participants from 35 to 44 years of age who participated in the impact programme (Faith in Health Model) focused on physical activity promotion and who were observed during the investigation period, i.e. they were re-tested. An interview in writing answering the questions in the questionnaire made up by ourselves was planned in for the research. The questionnaire consisted of 16 questions divided into separate blocks. Studying the health risk factors we assessed in total cholesterol concentrations in serum, arterial blood pressure (ABP), waist circumference, height, weight, and we calculated body mass index (BMI). All objective health indicators were taken together with Institute of Cardiology.
Results and discussion. According to the frequency and duration of exercising in their leisure time, 26.5 per cent of subjects were physically active. Men compared to women were more physically active, in the age groups the lowest levels of physical activity was observed among 35–44-year-old research participants. According to the research participants, the main reason for low physical activity was the lack of time (it was more common among women and 35–44-year-old persons). After applying Faith in Health Model as a factor of preventive health behaviour, it was found that during the period of observation there was an increase in the number of physically active (according to frequency and duration) individuals and the number of people who subjectively evaluated their health as good and very good. More significant changes in physical activity and health evaluation were observed among the subjects with the higher education and social status.
Conclusions. During the period of observation there was an increase in the number of physically active individuals and the number of people who subjectively evaluated their health as good and very good. More pronounced changes in physical activity and health evaluation were observed among the subjects with the higher education and social status. The comparison of the changes in physical activity in the International Scientific-practical Symposium In collaboration with the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity “CLIMBING THE LADDER OF LIFE, ACTIVE AND FIT” 34 Research Council of Lithuania normative groups of cholesterol levels in the blood showed that physical activity increased for those persons whose cholesterol levels complied with the norm or were elevated. More significant changes in physical activity (the ascending direction) were identified for those research participants who had the health hazards of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the blood.
