title: Physical activity levels of community-dwelling older adults are influenced by winter weather variables.
abstract: Winter weather conditions may negatively influence participation of older adults in daily physical activity (PA).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess the influence of winter meteorological variables, day-time peak ambient temperature, windchill, humidity, and snow accumulation on the ground to accelerometer measured PA values in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  50 community-dwelling older adults (77.4±4.7yrs; range 71-89; 12 females) living in Southwestern Ontario (Latitude 42.9°N Longitude 81.2° W) Canada, wore a waist-borne accelerometer during active waking hours (12h) for 7 consecutive days between February and April 2007. Hourly temperature, windchill, humidity, and snowfall accumulation were obtained from meteorological records and time locked to hourly accelerometer PA values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regression analysis revealed significant relationships between time of day, ambient daytime high temperature and a humidity for participation in PA. Windchill temperature added no additional influence over PA acclamation already influenced by ambient day-time temperature and the observed variability in PA patterns relative to snow accumulation over the study period was too great to warrant its inclusion in the model. Most PA was completed in the morning hours and increased as the winter month's transitioned to spring (February through April).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An equation was developed to adjust for winter weather conditions using temperature, humidity and time of day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate PA assessment during the winter months must account for the ambient daytime high temperatures, humidity, and time of day. These older adults were more physically active during the morning hours and became more active as the winter season transitioned to spring.
authors.affiliation: Healthy Exercise and Aging Laboratory Group, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada. Electronic address: gareth.jones@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brandon
authors.affiliation: Centre for Studies in Family Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Gill
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D014887:Weather
keywords: Humidity; Older adults; Physical activity; Temperature; Winter weather