TY - JOUR
T1 - The Exercise Right for Active Ageing Study
T2 - Participation in Community-Based Exercise Classes by Older Australians During the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Ayton, Darshini
AU - Skouteris, Helen
AU - Soh, Sze Ee
A2 - Ekegren, Christina L.
N1 - Funding Information:
To address program access and availability issues for older adults, Exercise and Sports Science Australia, Australia\u2019s peak professional organization for university-trained exercise and sports science practitioners (Exercise and Sports Science Australia, 2023b), sought and received funding from the Australian Government for the Exercise Right for Active Ageing program (Australian Sports Commission, 2023; Exercise and Sports Science Australia, 2023a). The program aimed to deliver subsidized community-based group exercise classes for older adults, aged 65 years and older, across Australia. Classes were taught by accredited exercise scientists (AESs) and physiologists (AEPs) within community-based facilities, such as fitness centers and community health centers, in metropolitan, regional, and remote areas to promote widespread access (Exercise and Sports Science Australia, 2023a).
Funding Information:
Leanne Evans, Dr. Sharon Hetherington, Dr. Channa Marsh, and Jeffrey Allen from Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) are thanked for their assistance with this project. We gratefully acknowledge the participants of this research and the exercise providers for contributing their time and effort. This project was supported by the Australian Government and managed by the Australian Sports Commission, through the Participation Grants Program. The funder had no involvement in the study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article for publication. Ayton was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (APP1195357).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Human Kinetics Publishers Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with participation of community-dwelling older Australians (≥65 years) in the Exercise Right for ActiveAgeing program, consisting of 12 low- tomoderate-intensity group exercise classes, deliveredweekly, in person or online, by accredited exercise scientists and physiologists across Australia. Out of 6,949 participants recruited, 6,626 (95%) attended one or more classes and were included in the primary analysis, and 49% of participants attended all 12 classes. Factors associated with higher class attendance included participation in yoga/flexibility/mobility classes, attendance at a free trial class (adjusted incidence rate ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.05 [1.03, 1.08]), and attending online classes (1.19 [1.11, 1.26]). Factors associated with lower class attendance included state of residence, living in inner regional areas (0.95 [0.93, 0.98]), and having two or more comorbidities (0.97 [0.95, 0.99]). High class attendance suggests that the Exercise Right for Active Ageing program was well received by older Australians, particularly in states less impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns.
AB - The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with participation of community-dwelling older Australians (≥65 years) in the Exercise Right for ActiveAgeing program, consisting of 12 low- tomoderate-intensity group exercise classes, deliveredweekly, in person or online, by accredited exercise scientists and physiologists across Australia. Out of 6,949 participants recruited, 6,626 (95%) attended one or more classes and were included in the primary analysis, and 49% of participants attended all 12 classes. Factors associated with higher class attendance included participation in yoga/flexibility/mobility classes, attendance at a free trial class (adjusted incidence rate ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.05 [1.03, 1.08]), and attending online classes (1.19 [1.11, 1.26]). Factors associated with lower class attendance included state of residence, living in inner regional areas (0.95 [0.93, 0.98]), and having two or more comorbidities (0.97 [0.95, 0.99]). High class attendance suggests that the Exercise Right for Active Ageing program was well received by older Australians, particularly in states less impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns.
KW - adherence
KW - attendance
KW - lockdowns
KW - older adults
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178492250&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1123/japa.2023-0199
DO - 10.1123/japa.2023-0199
M3 - Article
C2 - 38194960
AN - SCOPUS:85178492250
SN - 1063-8652
VL - 32
SP - 301
EP - 311
JO - Journal of Aging and Physical Activity
JF - Journal of Aging and Physical Activity
IS - 3
ER -