Perceived barriers, level of physical activity and sedentary behavior in functional elderly

Introduction: It has been observed that non-compliance with physical activity recommendations increases as age advances, which can be attributed to internal and external barriers. Objective: To analyze the relationship between perceived barriers, the level of physical activity and sedentary behavior in functional elderly. Methods: Non-experimental, descriptive-correlational study that evaluated 44 elderly (25 women and 19 men) between 60 and 75 years of age from a neighborhood center in the city of Talca, Chile through a non-probabilistic convenience sample. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short version and the Benefits/Barriers to Exercise Scale questionnaire were applied. Results: An inverse correlation was observed between physical activity level and total perceived barriers (p= 0.007; r=-0.433), external barriers (p= 0.019; r=-0.384) and internal barriers (p= 0.016; r=-0.394). When separated by sex, it was observed that in men there is a moderate inverse significant relationship (p= 0.025; r=-0.513) with external barriers, while women showed a relationship between physical activity level and total barriers (p = 0.005; r=-0.542) and internal barriers (p= 0.003; r=-0.565). Conclusion: There is a relationship between the barriers perceived by the elderly, the level of physical activity and sedentary behavior. When separating the participants by gender, men perceived more external barriers and women more internal barriers.