title: Social determinants of physical exercise in older men in Jamaica.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Physical activity interventions have been demonstrated to improve health-related quality of life and to be of special benefit to older adults with specific chronic conditions including arthritis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the extent and social determinants of physical exercise in elderly men in Jamaica.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 2,000 men 55 years of age and older was extracted from a total of 33,674 males in the parish of St. Catherine. A 132-item questionnaire was used to collect the data. A stratified random sampling technique was used to draw the sample. Descriptive statistics were used to provide background information on the sub-sample, and logistic regressions were utilized to model physical exercise.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the respondents, 55.4% indicated good health status, 51.0% lived in rural areas; 10.4% had moderate to high functional dependence and 67.3% reported that they did some form of physical exercise. Of those who indicated involvement in physical exercise (n = 1,345), 77.2% jogged, ran, and/or walked; 13.3% did aerobics; 4.7% swam; 2.0% cycled and 0.6% did push-ups or sit-ups. The variables that predicted being engaged in physical exercise were education; age of respondents; current good health status; household head; health plan; employment status, and social support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the elderly men were engaged in some form of physical activity and had good health. Age and good health status were the most influential social determinants of physical exercise. However, effective interventions to promote physical activity in older men in Caribbean countries such as Jamaica deserve wide implementation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica.
authors.forename: Chloe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Bourne
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eldemire-Shearer
authors.forename: Donovan A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: McGrowder