Study on the factors influencing adherence to daily exercise in elderly peoples of Dhaka city: A cross sectional survey-based study

Background: Adherence of exercise and physical activity leads to long term physical problems. Objective: The objective of the study was to identify factors leading to adherence to daily exercise among elderly people of the city of Dhaka.
Methodology & Materials: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among the elderly population of Dhaka city at one point in time. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 120 respondents were randomly selected. A pretested, modified semi structured questionnaire was used to collect the data.
Result: According to our study, the mean age of the respondents was 71.69 ± 4.052 years, with a range of 65 -75 years and above. The male to female ration was about equal (56.7%). The poor (33.3%) and lower middle class (28.3%) respondents were more likely to engage in daily exercise. Nearly half of the respondents were a higher secondary pass and a housewife who adhered to regular exercise. Near about 61.7% of the respondents were not given data regarding daily exercise while 45% avoid daily exercise as a result of physical discomfort. The presence of family demotivation also contributes to adherence to exercise, as about 27% of respondents reported being demotivated from daily exercise and 73% reported being committed to daily exercise. Laziness was also associated with adherence to exercise, as 80% reported skipping daily exercise. Physical illness is most common cause of adherence to exercise regularly near about 71.7% felt this problem. Different types of disease condition lead to adherence to exercise like joint pain, weakness, breathlessness, palpitations, and weakness. 31.7% of respondents felt adherent to daily exercise due to joint pain, whereas 1.7% were adherent to daily exercise due to physical impairment. Approximately 33.3% of the respondents considered adherence to daily exercise to be influenced by their exercise environment. In general, 66.7% of the respondents do not continue regular exercise because of a lack of adequate exercise fields. 20% of the respondents get up early in the morning and exercise regularly. The majority of respondents, 80%, did not do regular exercise due to this problem. Regular daily long- term exercise is difficult for elderly people due to different reasons. Nearly 40% of respondents continue to exercise above 1 hour daily. In this study, there was a statistically significant association between Family Motivation and Gender, where p = 0.002, Physical Problem with Gender, where p = 0.04, Physical Problem with skipping of daily exercise, where p = 0.042, and Physical Problem with waking up early in the morning, where p = 0.05.
Conclusion: Physical exercise is more common in elderly due to different factors. Promoting physical exercise and encouraging daily participation may reduce adverse health outcomes.