The perceptions of older persons on exercise

Older people are encouraged to remain physically active and engage in exercise to remain independent. An understanding of exercise for older people is needed when promoting exercise in this age group. The study aimed to explore older persons' perceptions of exercise in a Maltese community. It included exploring the incentives to commence/or continue to exercise, and barriers to exercising. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used for data analysis to obtain an in-depth perspective from the participants about exercise. Participants were recruited from an activity day centre and were all residents from one village. Data was collected between July and August 2020 through semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. These were used to obtain an in-depth perspective about their exercise perceptions. Purposeful quota sampling was employed, with a sample size of nine participants determined based on data saturation. Data coding followed transcript review, leading to the identification and discussion of emergent themes. The study included nine participants between the ages of 64 and 88; six females and three males. Five main themes emerged i) Perceptions of One's Own Ability, ii) Knowledge on Exercise, Exercising Preference, iii) Adjusting to New Circumstances, iv) Accessibility and v) Opportunities to Exercising. This study showed that older persons had different views and opinions about exercise. Reasons why they wanted to initiate exercising and what kept them doing so varied based on their perceptions. These preferences need to be considered when promoting exercise with older persons.