Objectives:
Physical activity in late life may be a continuity of activity pattern in the early stages of life. The current study aimed to assess physical activity levels in former Iranian sportsmen and athletes, in ۲۰۱۶.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used convenience sampling method to select ۲۲۳ former Iranian sportsmen and athletes living in Tehran City, Iran. Informed consents were obtained from all study participants before the study. The short-form Persian version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used for assessing physical activity. To achieve demographic information, a demographic data Questionnaire was used. For analyzing the obtained data, SPSS was used.
Results: The Mean±SD age of the study participants was ۷۰.۸۱±۸.۲۹ years. In total, ۵.۸%, ۴۲%, and ۵۲.۹% of the former athletes had less than ۱۰ minutes of walking, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity, respectively. About ۴.۹% of the individuals reported walking on a regular basis and none of them reported daily moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity. Moreover, ۸.۵% of the individuals failed to report walking for at least ۱۰ min/d. Totally, ۴۳.۵% of the individuals reported no moderate-intensity physical activity and about ۵۶.۱% of them did not participate in any vigorous-intensity physical activities. Furthermore, ۳۱.۴, ۸.۵, and ۵.۸ of the athletes reported walking, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity for more than ۱۵۰ minutes per week, respectively. According to the three types of activity defined by the IPAQ, ۴۹% of the athletes were inactive, ۳۶.۳% were minimally active and about ۱۵% were physically active.
Physical activity decreased with increasing age (P<۰.۰۱; r=-۰.۵۲۹) and had a direct relationship with educational level (P<۰.۰۱; r=۰.۲۷۸).
Discussion: The findings highlight the importance of considering active intervention programs at younger ages to ensure better leisure participation of the elderly, especially in physical activity.