Changes in the Activity Levels of Women Ages 40 to 80

By Richard Shank

Australian researchers recently conducted a five-year cohort study with women ages 40 to 80 years old, designed to outline the physical activity habits of women as they age.

Public health experts from all over the world agree that global physical habits need to change in order to decrease the incidence and impact of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, stroke, depression, osteoporosis, and arthritis. Transforming individual lifestyles from a sedentary one to a physically active one will require a drastic reorientation of daily habits and routines.

The findings of this study indicate that physical fitness routines change very little as women age. Yet, women who led sedentary lifestyles at the beginning of the study were the most likely to increase their activity levels later in the study, most often as a response to either a real or perceived loss of functionality.

Source: Nitz, J., Low Choy, N. 2007. Changes in activity level in women aged 40 to 80 years. Climacteric 10: 408-415.

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