The impact of a walking intervention in older adults: examining factors related to physical activity, cognitive functioning, and quality of life

George, Amanda M. (2017) The impact of a walking intervention in older adults: examining factors related to physical activity, cognitive functioning, and quality of life. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

With increasing life expectancies, being physically and mentally fit is important, especially in later years of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to a walking intervention in older adults. Eighteen older adults (ages 65 to 79) were recruited to complete a six-month walking intervention while tracking changes in cognition and quality of life (QoL) with bi-monthly questionnaires. Subjects also identified an informant to provide information regarding cognition and QoL at the same time intervals. An informal interview was completed with subjects at post-testing. Physical activity was recorded in a daily logbook, and an activity tracker was used for three one-week periods over the duration of the study. Three questions were explored. First, what effects does a walking intervention have on elderly individuals’ cognition and QoL? Second, are objective or subjective methods of recording activity more feasible for older adults? Finally, are both subject and informant measures reliable ways of capturing data? Results indicated that both informant and subject measures were highly correlated, indicating both provide similar information. It was found that objective methods of tracking physical activity were more effective and feasible with older adults. Finally, by maintaining a sufficient level of physical activity, participants experienced an overall increase in cognition and QoL.

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