Physical Activity-Related Well-Being in Older Adults: Social Cognitive Influences

As the average age of the population increases due to medical advancements that promote longevity, a more clear understanding of the health of the elderly must be realized in terms of their own feelings of self-efficacy as a result of physical activity, and the relation of those feelings to psychological well-being. Research has determined that gender, age, the length of exercise programs, and their design have no effect on the association between physical activity and well-being (McAuley & Rudolph, 1995; Rejeski & Mihalko, 2001). Typically, well-being has been gauged from a general or global perspective, rather than focusing on specific elements of physical activity programs and the changes they invoke on health. A study on the effects of tai chi on overall well-being accounted for this hole in research and determined that activity-specific measures did not improve as rapidly and dramatically as global measures over time (Li et al, 2001). The value associated with physical activity is believed to cause positive feelings upon completion of the exercise (Rejeski & Mihalko, 2001), though this hypothesis had not yet been tested in the context of older adults.