The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Perceived Health Status in Older Women: Findings from the Woman’s College Alumni Study

Abstract

Using data collected from the Woman’s College (WC) Alumni Study, the purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived health status is related to physical activity in older women. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between amounts of physical activity and self-reported health status. The results of the current study reveal that the level of physical activity is significantly correlated with perceived health status. The findings of this study have implications for the assessment of older individuals’ health and may lead to interventions that are tailored to increase physical activity among older women.

KEYWORDS:

• physical activity
• exercise
• aging
• women
• health status

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank Dr. Paige Hall Smith, the principal investigator of the WC Alumni Study and Director of the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness (CWHW), for the use of these data. Additionally, we would like to thank Leilani Madrigal and Donna Duffy for their assistance on this project.