"We have this saying, you do what you can": A qualitative description of physical activity among older adults in rural Saskatchewan

Abstract

As people get older, their physical activity level declines. Among the older adult population, physical activity rates are even lower in rural communities compared to urban. This qualitative description study explored the perception of physical activity among ten older adults living in rural Saskatchewan. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis techniques. The findings revealed that older adults living in rural Saskatchewan identified social-ecological elements facilitating physical activity such as improved health, independence, and mobility as well as social cohesion and having opportunities for physical activity. Older adults from this rural region citied adverse weather conditions (e.g., fear of falling), aging (e.g., arthritis), and family members (e.g., encouraged to ‘take it easy’) as barriers to physical activity. Findings of this study may be useful to community programmers, service providers, and town planners in developing interventions to increase physical activity among this population.