Movement and Mobility Influence on Successful Aging: Addressing the Issue of Low Physical Activity

Demographic projections indicate that the over 65 population will double between 2000 and 2030, from 35 million to 70 million. Unfortunately, statistics also show that although people are living longer, they are living with an increased prevalence of chronic disease, a trend that could have devastating effects on health care costs and quality of life in later years unless ways are found to reverse this trend. This paper briefly reviews evidence showing the positive contributions of regular physical activity (PA) to health and well-being in later years, as well as the role of PA in preventing and, in some cases, reversing age-related functional declines. However, despite the well-documented benefits of PA, two-thirds of Americans continue to live mostly sedentary lifestyles, a statistic that has been largely unaffected by past physical activity intervention research. Issues related to this persistent lack of physical activity are discussed.