“It’s Better Together”: A Nested Longitudinal Study Examining the Benefits of Walking Regularly With Peers Versus Primarily Alone in Older Adults
in Journal of Aging and Physical ActivityClick name to view affiliation
The authors examined whether purposeful walking with peers at least once a week contributes to better behavioral and health outcomes in older adults than primarily walking alone. The authors used a longitudinal cohort design and recruited participants aged 60 years and older (N = 136) at the start of a 16-week walking intervention. Participants who walked on average at least once a week in the final 8 weeks of the intervention were included in the analysis (N = 79; 66 females, Mage [SD] = 77.73 [6.91]). The authors found that autonomous motivation, walking self-efficacy, functional capacity, body fat, and physical activity improved more in the walking with peers group compared with the walking alone group, after controlling for whether participants lived alone/with others and their health status. The results extend current literature by providing longitudinal evidence for the added benefits of regular peer-accompanied walking in older adults and highlight the importance of investing in peer-supported interventions.
Kritz, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Mullan, and Ntoumanis are with the Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research Group, School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Kritz, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, and Ntoumanis are also with the Physical Activity and Well-Being Research Group, School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Stathi is with the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
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