Filipino older adults' beliefs about exercise activity.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored how the older traditional Filipino adults 65 years old and above living in Honolulu, Hawaii, describe their beliefs regarding exercise activity. The location of this research setting is unique because a blending of traditional Filipino culture exists within an acculturated social setting. The Filipino older adults who have relocated to this U.S. location may have also stayed close to their own cultural traditions.


METHODS
A perception of exercise activity was generated through the lens of 47 participants using qualitative methodology.


RESULTS
While focusing on the older adults' beliefs about exercise activity, it became evident that exercise may have been seen as a proxy measure of physical activity. The study revealed four main domains: balancing barriers against benefits; engaging capabilities; intervening factors; and defining exercise. The data suggest that the four themes are juxtaposed among each other, with overarching social obligations to the kin group governing the older adults' engagement in what constitutes structured exercise by Western definition.


CONCLUSIONS
Further investigation is needed to conceptualize what types of physical activities traditional Filipino elders perceive as exercise, and whether these activities fall into the Western definition of exercise.
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Honolulu, HI, USA. clem@hawaii.edu
Clementina D
CD
Ceria-Ulep
Reimund C
RC
Serafica
Alice
A
Tse
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010679:Philippines / Q000208:ethnology; D036301:Qualitative Research