Summary of Results
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging
Do people become more physically active after
they move into a retirement home?
2015
What was this project about and why is it important?
People who are more physically active have better mental and physical health as they get
older. Unfortunately, many people find it difficult to be active. The good news is that many
retirement homes such as the Schlegel Villages have trained professionals who offer physical
activity programs on site and who can encourage residents to be physically active. This study
had two main goals:
1.
To see whether people became more or less physically active after they moved into a
retirement home; and,
2.
To see if people who were more active had better overall health than those who
were less active.
This research is important because it helps us understand whether people are more or less
active after moving into a retirement home and whether becoming more physically active is
associated with better overall health.
What did the research team do?
The researchers gathered information from everyone who participated in the study before
they moved into one of the Schlegel Village retirement homes and again after they had lived in
the Village for a few months. Each time, researchers asked participants to wear a small activity
monitor to better understand when and how the participant was physically active during the
day. The researchers also spoke to each participant to get some more information about their
daily physical activity. Finally, most participants completed some tasks that helped the
researcher assess their overall health.
What did the research team find?
The researchers found that after moving into one of the Schlegel Village retirement homes,
most people increased the amount of intentional exercise (e.g. going to a fitness class) they
did each week. There were even participants who had never exercised who began attending
fitness classes in the Village! However, even though people participated in more intentional
exercise, they tended to participate in less overall daily physical activity (i.e. any activity, not
just exercise). This is likely because people don’t do as many everyday physical activities, such
as gardening and housework, after moving into a retirement home.
The researchers also found that residents who did intentional exercise and were more
physically active throughout the day had better physical and cognitive health.
How could this research be used in practice?
This study showed that, on average, people participated in more exercise after they moved
into one of the Schlegel Village retirement homes, although they participated in less overall
daily physical activity. Because daily physical activity is associated with some aspects of better
health, it is important for people who live in the Villages to sit less and move more throughout
the entire day, not just during exercise.
Who were the lead researchers for this project?
The lead researchers for this project were:
Kayla Regan
MSc Student
Kinesiology
University of Waterloo
Laura Middleton
Associate Professor
Kinesiology
University of Waterloo
Next steps
For more information about this project, or to discuss how the results of this project can
be used, please contact [email protected].
RESEARCH
EDUCATION
PRACTICE