How the fitness sector can support adults to remain active in later life

Maintaining our levels of fitness and strength as we get older is important for the prevention of health conditions such as heart disease, as well as for the better management of very common conditions like arthritis.

Despite the known benefits of physical activity, more than a third (34%) of adults over the age of 55 are classified as inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week. This falls far short of the UK Chief Medical Officers recommendation that people undertake at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.

And whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has given some people more time and motivation to be physically active, overall the proportion of adults aged 55 to 74 achieving the recommend levels of physical activity has fallen by 1.3% between November 2019 and November 2020, and by 2.9% for those aged 75 and over.

Most of the responsibility for creating opportunities for physical activity sit at a local level. They include how we design our streets and neighbourhoods so that the environment supports walking, cycling and outdoor leisure, and making sure that everyone has access to appropriate sport, fitness and leisure opportunities that meet their preferences and ability. Above all, we need to make sure activities are enjoyable!

The fitness and leisure sector has a significant role to play in this but historically we know that older adults have been underrepresented in gyms, leisure centres and pools.

That is why the Centre for Ageing Better welcomes the findings of ukactive’s new report, Life in our Years, which has identified what older adults want from the fitness and leisure sector to encourage greater participation.

The main themes to emerge from the research are: accessibility, atmosphere, the importance of social interaction, workforce engagement, promotion, the categorisation of programmes and class offerings, and long-term physical health support following the pandemic.

Based on the themes, ukactive has produced nine recommendations for fitness and leisure sector operators to improve participation levels among older adults and to play an increased role in improving the health and wellbeing of the older population:

1. Make activity easy and accessible.
2. Focus on strength as early as possible to maintain independence.
3. Create and build an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere to increase likelihood of repeat usage and foster a sense of belonging and community.
4. Make activity more social to incentivise people to come through your doors.
5. Prepare the workforce to support health needs specific of the older adult through developing their interpersonal and communication skills and knowledge of common health conditions.
6. Categorise activities by ability or intensity, not by age.
7. Make communication and promotion clear to help build consumer confidence and help them make informed activity decisions.
8. Consider the changed physical and mental health needs of older adults post-COVID-19.
9. Build an evidence base to understand the impact the sector is having on older adults’ health and attract investment into the sector.

The report recommendations are important for the UK’s recovery from COVID-19 and for the resilience of older adults. The Centre for Ageing Better looks forward to working with ukactive and its members to help ensure the fitness and leisure sector can play its full role in supporting older adults keep fit and well.