New Ideas for Promoting Physical Activity among Middle Age and Older Adults

Promoting physical activity among middle age and older adults to decrease the incidence of disease and premature death and to combat the health care costs associated with a sedentary lifestyle is more important now than ever. There is now a better understanding of what "successful aging" means and of what aspects of life have the greatest potential for increasing physical activity in later life. Leisure activities that are intrinsically motivated and satisfying, and theories like SOC (selection, optimization, and compensation) and socio-emotional selectivity, are promising means of promoting physical activity among older adults. This article documents these new developments and interdisciplinary efforts to provide services and products that increase physical activity among the older segments of the population.