Trends of changes in physical activity of older adults in Poland 2009–2019. The results of the representative population-based PolSenior2 study

Health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) have been widely recognized in older people. The aim of this study was to present the data on leisure time physical activity (LTPA) of Polish citizens aged 65 years and over in the representative population-based PolSenior2 project conducted between 2018 and 2019 and to compare with PolSenior study conducted 10 years earlier. The data of the 4,932 participants (2,430 men and 2,502 women) aged over 65 years from the PolSenior2 study with complete PA data were related to the results of the 4,813 participants (2,488 men and 2,325 women) aged 65 and more from the PolSenior study. The methodology was the same in the PolSenior2 as in the PolSenior study. Gardening (51.5%), walking (35.3%) and cycling (31.2%) were the most popular physical activities, however, with lower prevalence as compared to PolSenior. The percentage of older people engaged in swimming (8.4%), dancing (16.0%) and running or jogging (2.1%)(borderline significance) increased in PolSenior2 as compared to PolSenior study. After summing up the types, intensities and frequencies of different activities as defined in previous PolSenior study, the satisfactory level of LTPA was comparable (p = 0.064) in PolSenior2 vs. PolSenior (35.4% vs. 33.6%). Higher level was found for age cohort of 65–69 years, for the residents of villages, for farmers, and for other than blue and white collar workers social class group. In contrast, the LTPA level was lower for the residents of cities with 200,000-500,000 inhabitants in the PolSenior2 as compared to the PolSenior survey. Health policies should concentrate on a combination of sustaining existing favourable PA habits and developing access and motivation to participate in sports activities characteristic of Western countries.