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Making Physical Activity Interventions Acceptable to Older People

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The Palgrave Handbook of Ageing and Physical Activity Promotion

Abstract

For physical activity to be an acceptable part of older adults’ daily lives, we need to ensure that interventions and services are appropriate for this population. Within the broad group of older adults, there are vastly different needs due to variations in function and health which must be accommodated. All forms of physical activity have health benefits, not just moderate to vigorous activities, and should be encouraged. Despite these benefits, promoting physical activity as a source of improved health appears not to be very effective. Instead, enjoyment and social contact are fundamental to acceptability. Furthermore, services must base the promotion and delivery of interventions on research conducted with older adults, rather than assume that research findings with younger adults will be applicable.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Angela Devereux-Fitzgerald, Laura McGowan, Rachael Powell & David P. French

Authors
  1. Angela Devereux-Fitzgerald
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  2. Laura McGowan
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  3. Rachael Powell
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  4. David P. French
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom

    Samuel R. Nyman

  2. Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Anna Barker

  3. Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia

    Terry Haines

  4. School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, London, United Kingdom

    Khim Horton

  5. Centre for Innovative Ageing, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom

    Charles Musselwhite

  6. Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Geeske Peeters

  7. College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, United Kingdom

    Christina R. Victor

  8. Institute of Psychogerontology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany

    Julia Katharina Wolff

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Devereux-Fitzgerald, A., McGowan, L., Powell, R., French, D.P. (2018). Making Physical Activity Interventions Acceptable to Older People. In: Nyman, S., et al. The Palgrave Handbook of Ageing and Physical Activity Promotion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71291-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71291-8_15

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71290-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71291-8

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