Senior Australians Could Definitely Benefit from Activities such as Tai Chi

A study recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found that almost one-third of Australians aged over 65 engage in no leisure time physical activity at all. Furthermore, the researchers found that while a lot of Seniors engage in walking and similar aerobic activities, which are beneficial to heart health, very few (less than 3%) were doing enough to improve strength, coordination and balance.

The big issue is to find out why. Lead author of the study, Dafna Merom, of the University of Western Sydney's School of Science and Health said ''It could be an issue of accessibility, it could be a confidence issue, it could be the cost of participation, but as we get older we need to provide protection to all of our systems, not just our cardiovascular system.''

Though activities such as dancing, yoga, weightlifting and tai chi offered some of the best protection against falls, they also had the lowest participation rate by those over 65, the study found.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in every 10 days spent in hospital by a person aged 65 and older in 2008-09 was directly caused by an injurious fall. As the study concluded, an increase in participation in balance enhancing activities and weight training is warranted to maximize health benefits in older Australians.

Reference: J Sci Med Sport. 2012 May;15(3):213-9. Epub 2011 Dec 22. “How diverse was the leisure time physical activity of older Australians over the past decade?” Dafna M, Carmen C, Kamalesh V, Adrian B. University of Western Sydney, School of Science and HealthAustralia, Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia. d.merom@uws.edu.au