Perceived barriers to physical activity by older adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived barriers to physical activity by older adults. 199 volunteers responded to the Perceived Barriers Questionnaire (PBQ). The subjects resided in apartment residences for independent, healthy, older adults. Older adults perceived as many as 17 barriers to physical activity. The number of barriers per subject was significantly related to age and illness or handicap. The remaining factors, gender, income, activity and educational levels, were not related to the number of barriers. There was a significant difference among four specific types of barriers (i.e. Psychological, Administrative, Physical/Health, Knowledge) with barriers of the knowledge dimension being most often identified.