In this review we found that exercise interventions ( or lifestyle activities ) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health .
CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives , by developing home-based exercise programs that require few re sources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle .
The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise
BACKGROUND Participation in regular physical activity is among the most promising and cost effective strategies to reduce physical and cognitive decline and premature death .
However , confusion remains about the amount , frequency , and duration of physical activity that is likely to provide maximum benefit as well as the way in which interventions should be delivered .
AIMS This paper aim ed to review research on the impact of leisure-time and general physical activity levels on physical and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women .
Physical activity social support and middle- and older-aged minority women: results from a US survey.
BACKGROUND Many American adults remain sedentary despite many known health benefits . Research on the determinants of physical activity have indicated that social support is one of the strongest correlates , but little is known about this relation in important subgroups of middle and older-aged women . OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the association of physical activity-related social support on several measures of physical activity in a national sample of minority women . A unique aspect of these measures is the inclusion of vigorous household tasks and occupational physical activities . METHODS The US Women 's Determinants Study was conducted in 1996 - 1997 . The survey was a modified-r and om sample , telephone survey of 2912 Black , Hispanic , American Indian/Alaskan Native , and White women age 40 and older . A composite score of  physical activity social support ( PASS ) was analyzed as the independent variable in logistic regression analyses . Four measures of physical activity levels served as the dependent variables . A separate analysis was done to distinguish PASS from friends versus PASS from relatives . The potential confounding effect of race/ethnicity , marital status , age , income and education were evaluated and adjusted in the models . RESULTS Hispanic women were more likely to have high PASS scores than the other racial/ethnic groups . Odds ratios indicate that subjects with high levels of PASS were significantly less likely to be sedentary than those with low support , even after adjusting for race/ethnicity . While there were significant associations among levels of social support and physical activity , this was not true for the measure of " regular exercise .  " There was no significant difference between the contribution of " friend " support versus " family " support on all four measures on physical activity . DISCUSSION Based on our results , enhancing social support may be an important aspect of interventions aim ed at increasing physical activity in a population of sedentary women of various racial/ethnic background s. Also , " regular exercisers " in this population appear to be less reliant social support to maintain their behavior
In this review we found that exercise interventions ( or lifestyle activities ) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health .
CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives , by developing home-based exercise programs that require few re sources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle .
The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise
BACKGROUND Participation in regular physical activity is among the most promising and cost effective strategies to reduce physical and cognitive decline and premature death .
However , confusion remains about the amount , frequency , and duration of physical activity that is likely to provide maximum benefit as well as the way in which interventions should be delivered .
AIMS This paper aim ed to review research on the impact of leisure-time and general physical activity levels on physical and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women .