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Walking is an essential component of outdoor mobility, and recognised as one of the best forms of physical activity for older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between socio-demographic factors, coping resources, self-esteem and health status with the outdoor walking ability of people aged 55-79 years living in the community. The hypothesis is that there is a positive association between outdoor walking ability and coping, self-esteem and health status. A nationally-representative sample of 3,069 women and men answered questions regarding socio-demographic attributes, coping resources, self-esteem, health status and outdoor walking ability. The mean age of the respondents was 65.6 years. Around one-half of the sample were women, and around one-half were aged 65 or more years. One-third (32.3 %) of the sample were married or cohabiting. Regarding outdoor walking ability, only 0.7 per cent of the respondents were not able to walk at all, and 80.8 per cent could walk at least one kilometre without a pause. Binary logistic multivariate regression analyses showed that those who had good outdoor walking ability (one kilometre or more) were significantly younger than those who did not, and that they were predominantly men, partnered or married, not in paid work, experienced significantly little pain, had better self-reported health and higher perceived coping. KEY WORDS-outdoor walking, coping, self-esteem, health, Norway. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X1000022X

Research indicates that both men and women use aerobics to achieve a more preferable bodily appearance, but more women than men indicated they used aerobics to attain a healthier and stronger body. Fewer women than men indicated they felt insecure or under critical scrutiny during their training.

The aims of this study were to examine the level of exercise among elderly people with regard to the current Norwegian recommendations, demographic correlates of exercise, and the relationship between exercise and subjective health among elderly men and women. A representative sample of 3,770 Norwegian men and women between 65 and 97 years of age (mean 75 years) completed a questionnaire. The response rate was 83.4%. Results showed that 6% of the participants exercise at the level recommended. The oldest old (>80 years), those who have an illness and use medication, and individuals with lower levels of education and income are the least active segments of the sample. After adjusting for age, marital status, income, and education, results showed that exercise at moderate intensity 3-4 days per week is a significant predictor for positive subjective health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the perception of men of different ages on aging body in Norway. Relationship between bodily appearance and physical activity; Satisfaction of active men on their physical appearance; Attitude of inactive young men.

Purpose: This article examines the reliability of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) in a representative sample of Norwegian women and men. PASE is a brief and easily scored instrument to assess physical activity in epidemiological studies of persons age 65 years and older. Methods: A random sample (N = 343) of Norwegian women and men aged 67 years and over completed PASE. In addition, demographic information and health status was provided. Results: The mean PASE scores were higher in men than in women (men were more active than women), and higher in those aged 67-75 years compared with those aged 76 years and older. Internal consistency of PASE as measured by Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.73. Three hundred and twenty-seven subjects also completed follow-up questionnaires 3 days and 3 weeks later. The test-retest coefficient (Pearson's) reliability was 0.997 for the 3-day interval and 0.933 for the 3-week interval. Conclusion: The results show that PASE is an easily scored, reliable instrument for use in epidemiological studies to assess physical activity among Norwegian elderly men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]