Barriers to the involvement of the elderly in public services to promote physical activity

The aim of this study was to examine the sociodemographic, health and behavioural characteristics related to non-participation of elderly people in activities offered by the program PROETI Health of Uberaba, Minas Gerais state. Observational study, case-control design with pairing 1:1 and sample composed of 220 elderly 60-80 years. Binary Logistic Regression was used to identify the sociodemographic, health and behavioral factors associated with non-engagement of non-users to the program. After hierarchical analysis, the non-engagement of the elderly in the program activities was associated with depressive symptoms, insufficient physical activity in the domain of leisure and reduced self-efficacy for performing moderate or vigorous physical activity. The characteristics identified in this study should receive priority attention in the formulation of community programs targeted at promoting physical activity for elderly people.