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Cultural Considerations for Exercise in Older Adults

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Book cover Exercise for Aging Adults

Key Points

  • Awareness of cultural history, values, and beliefs allows tailoring of exercise recommendations to diverse older adults.

  • Language and low literacy present barriers to understanding an exercise prescription.

  • A culturally sensitive approach can elicit an older adult’s preferences and concerns about potential inhibitors and motivators to physical activity.

  • Community-based participation, with strong emphasis on social supports and family values, is an effective approach for all racial and ethnic groups.

  • “Fitness deserts” limit the ability of many older adults from minority cultures to exercise safely.

The views expressed in this chapter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Aging, the US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Federal Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, suite 3C307, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Gail M. Sullivan

  2. Department of Geriatrics, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

    Alice K. Pomidor

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Correa-de-Araujo, R. (2015). Cultural Considerations for Exercise in Older Adults. In: Sullivan, G., Pomidor, A. (eds) Exercise for Aging Adults. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16095-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16095-5_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16094-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16095-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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