Graduate School of Earth Science, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Aging Ment Health. 2011 Sep;15(7):873-81. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2011.569486. Epub 2011 Jun 1.
The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between physical exercise and the feelings of well-being of the retired elderly. Face-to-face questionnaire survey was adopted, and quota sampling was chosen to select the respondents. A total of 352 valid questionnaires were collected in selected parks in Taipei. The survey found that the Taiwanese retired elderly participated in a wide range of sports, from light exercise such as walking to vigorous exercise such as tennis and aerobics, and their participation frequency was very high. Most of the respondents (87.2%) were defined as having positive well-being. The results showed that exercise frequency and well-being were positively correlated, but a negative correlation was found between exercise intensity and well-being. The survey found that the intensity of exercise was self-evaluated by as being low to moderate, but most of the activities were in the categories of moderate or vigorous intensity according to the metabolic equivalents suggested by American College of Sports Medicine. The study suggest that the elderly felt more comfortable and gained more pleasure psychologically while participating in exercises less intensive. As a result, the retired elderly are recommended to take exercise as frequently as possible. As to exercise intensity, self-evaluated low-to-moderate intensity exercise might be better for the psychological well-being of the elderly.
本研究旨在探讨运动与退休老年人幸福感之间的关系。研究采用了面对面问卷调查的方式，采用配额抽样的方法选择受访者。在台北选定的公园共收集了 352 份有效问卷。调查发现，台湾的退休老年人参与了广泛的运动，从轻运动如散步到剧烈运动如网球和有氧运动，他们的参与频率非常高。大多数受访者（87.2%）被定义为具有积极的幸福感。结果表明，运动频率与幸福感呈正相关，但运动强度与幸福感呈负相关。调查发现，运动强度是由老年人自我评估为低至中等强度，但根据美国运动医学学院建议的代谢当量，大多数活动都属于中等或剧烈强度。研究表明，老年人在参与低强度运动时，在心理上感到更舒适和愉悦。因此，建议老年人尽可能频繁地进行运动。至于运动强度，自我评估的低至中等强度运动可能更有利于老年人的心理健康。
