Abstract
As the population of older adults grows, there will be a rising demand for physical activity (PA) programs for this group. Current literature suggests that structured PA programs garner higher levels of participation, and that PA interventions are successful in increasing participation. This project evaluated the effectiveness of PA and health promoting events to individuals 55+ years of age. In 2010 and 2011, data was collected at 3 separate events (N=380; n=236, 55+ years). The attendees completed a brief survey, with one-on-one interviews administered to 12 (2010) and 11 (2011) attendees. In Windsor-Essex (WE), 73.6% of women were active, 77% of the participants lived in an urban area, 42.1% of the participants were only 5-10 minutes away from their community centre. Over the course of a week, 30% of participant's were active daily, 38% 1-2 X per week, and 26% 3-4 X per week. All interviewees reported meeting the recommended guidelines of 150 minutes of PA per week; and 57% of survey programs over the last year, while 24% participated in non-structured programs. Overall, interviewees reported that the event was educational and provided opportunity to learn about the local PA programs. Women suggested that they could be inspired by fun and simple activities that have a social component. Future work should continue to evaluate the impact of health promoting events by correlating attendance and participation in PA.Acknowledgments: Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport: Health Community Fund