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Age and Ageing Advance Access originally published online on November 27, 2008
Age and Ageing 2009 38(1):68-73; doi:10.1093/ageing/afn237
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© The Author [2008].
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

What do community-dwelling Caucasian and South Asian 60–70 year olds think about exercise for fall prevention?

Maria Horne1, Shaun Speed1, Dawn Skelton2 and Chris Todd1

1 Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Manchester, UK
2 HealthQWest, School of Health and Social Care, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland G4 0HB, UK

Address correspondence to: Maria Horne, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Manchester, University Place, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. Tel: (+44)161 3067680; Fax: (+44)161 306 7707. Email: maria.horne{at}machester.ac.uk

Background: strategies to prevent falls often recommend regular exercise. However, 40% of over 50s in the UK report less physical activity than is recommended. Even higher rates of sedentary behaviour have been reported among South Asian older adults.

Objective: to identify salient beliefs that influence uptake and adherence to exercise for fall prevention among community-dwelling Caucasian and South Asian 60–70 year olds in the UK.

Methods: we undertook an ethnographic study using participant observation, 15 focus groups (n = 87; mean age = 65.7 years) and 40 individual semi-structured interviews (mean age = 64.8 years). Data analysis used framework analysis.

Results: young older adults do not acknowledge their fall risk and are generally not motivated to exercise to prevent falls. Those who had fallen are more likely to acknowledge risk of future falls. Whilst many of the beliefs about falls and exercise expressed were very similar between Caucasians and South Asians, there was a tendency for South Asians to express fatalistic beliefs more often.

Conclusion: fall prevention should not be the focus of strategies to increase uptake and adherence to exercise. The wider benefits of exercise, leading to an active healthy lifestyle should be encouraged.

Keywords: falls, fall prevention, exercise, physical activity, beliefs, Caucasian, South Asian

Received 22 January 2008; accepted in revised form 11 June 2008.


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