Older Australians and physical activity levels: do we know how many are meeting guidelines?

Aim: Current recommendations suggest that older Australians (defined here as ≥65 years of age) should, for health benefits, accumulate 30 minutes of at least moderate intensity physical activity on most days each week. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion who meets this recommendation.

Method: Systematic review of scholarly journals published between 1 January 2000 and 5 October 2010.

Results: Of 357 potentially relevant papers, 22 met the study criteria. Estimates from the 15 studies with samples >500 suggest that between 25% and 55% of Australians ≥65 years were meeting guidelines, but in these studies definitions, measures and age ranges of participants varied widely.

Discussion: Because of the heterogeneity of samples, measures and definitions, it is not possible to estimate with confidence the proportion of older adults in Australia who meet current physical activity recommendations.