Life purpose in older adults is associated with vigorous physical activity

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v71.115032

Keywords:

longevity, older adults, physical activity, quality of life

Abstract

Introduction: This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between purpose in life and physical activity levels in a sample of 114 older adults of both sexes, with a mean age of 70.9 years, of whom 79.8% were women.

Objective: To analyze the association between purpose in life and physical activity intensities in older adults, using quantile regression to explore differences in perceptions of purpose in life concerning specific physical activity levels.

Methodology: Participants were assessed for purpose in life and categorized based on physical activity recommendations (75 minutes of vigorous activity and 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week). Quantile regression was applied to examine how different physical activity intensities are associated with perceptions of purpose in life.

Results: Older adults who did not reach 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity had significantly lower purpose in life scores, with more pronounced impacts on low (β = -0.54) and moderate (β = -0.49) perceptions of purpose in life, and a less marked effect on high purpose in life (β = -0.39). Similarly, those who did not achieve 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity also exhibited lower purpose in life scores (β = -0.21).

Discussion: The results highlight the role of vigorous physical activity in maintaining purpose in life, demonstrating its benefits for psychological well-being and active aging.

Conclusions: This study suggests that not engaging in 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity is associated with a reduced perception of purpose in life in older adults.

Author Biographies

Felipe Fank, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina

Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Program in Human Movement Sciences at the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), specializing in Physical Activity and Health. Holds a master's degree in Human Movement Sciences and a bachelor's degree in Physical Education from UDESC (2018), having received academic merit for outstanding performance during the program.

Previously a research fellow at the Gerontology Laboratory (LAGER) at UDESC. In teaching, has experience delivering courses on physical fitness assessment for older adults. During graduate studies, completed a teaching internship in the disciplines of Research Methodology (undergraduate and graduate) and Physical Activity and Aging (undergraduate and graduate).

In research, is a member of the Research Group on Physical Activity, Health, and Aging at the Center for Health and Sports Sciences at UDESC. In university extension, serves as a technical supervisor for the Extension Program "Grupo de Estudos da Terceira Idade" (GETI), coordinating projects on strength training and walking for older adults.

Has experience in the health field, with an emphasis on Physical Education, focusing mainly on topics related to physical activity, older adults, public health, women's health, and evidence-based health. The subfield of expertise is the study of sleep and its related aspects.

Ana Rafaela Amaral da Rocha, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina

Graduated in Physical Education - Bachelor's Degree from the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), having been awarded Academic Merit for outstanding performance during the program. Member of the Research Group Laboratory of Research in Leisure and Physical Activity (LAPLAF/CNPq).

Works in the field of Physical Education with an emphasis on Physical Activity, Quality of Life and Health, Dance, Functional Training, and Menopause.

Giovana Zarpellon Mazo, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina

She holds a degree in Physical Education from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) (1989), a master's degree in Human Movement Sciences from UFSM (1994), and a doctorate in Sports Sciences from the University of Porto (2003). She is currently a full professor at the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC). She teaches courses in the undergraduate Physical Education program at the Center for Health and Sports Sciences (CEFID) at UDESC. She is a permanent professor in the master's and doctoral programs in Human Movement Sciences at CEFID/UDESC.

She is the leader of the CNPq Research Group on Physical Activity, Health, and Aging, which is part of the Gerontology Laboratory (LAGER) at CEFID/UDESC, which she also coordinates. Additionally, she coordinates the university extension program "Grupo de Estudos da Terceira Idade" (GETI), which was established at UDESC in 1989. She provides consulting services for CNPq, CAPES, FAPESC, and other research institutions and academic journals.

Her research focuses on Physical Education, specifically in the field of Physical Activity and Health, with an emphasis on the human aging process.

References

Abaoğlu, H., & Doğu, S. E. (2022). Physical activity for a meaningful and purposeful life in typical adults: a cross-sectional study. Cadernos Brasileiros de Terapia Ocupacional, 30. https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoao23783103

An, H.-Y., Chen, W., Wang, C.-W., Yang, H.-F., Huang, W.-T., & Fan, S.-Y. (2020). The Relationships be-tween Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction and Happiness among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4817. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134817

Anderson, K. A., Fields, N. L., Cassidy, J., & Peters-Beumer, L. (2022). Purpose in Life: A Reconceptual-ization for Very Late Life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23(5), 2337–2348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00512-7

AshaRani, P., Lai, D., Koh, J., & Subramaniam, M. (2022). Purpose in Life in Older Adults: A Systematic Review on Conceptualization, Measures, and Determinants. International Journal of Environ-mental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 5860. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105860

Cohen, R., Bavishi, C., & Rozanski, A. (2016). Purpose in Life and Its Relationship to All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Events. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(2), 122–133. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000274

De Oliveira, L. da S. S. C. B., Souza, E. C., Rodrigues, R. A. S., Fett, C. A., & Piva, A. B. (2019). The effects of physical activity on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in elderly people living in the community. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 41(1), 36–42. https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-6089-2017-0129

Ferreira Duarte, T. C., Da Silva Lopes, H., & Morais Campos, H. L. (2020). Atividade física, propósito de vida de idosos ativos da comunidade: um estudo transversal. Revista Pesquisa Em Fisioterapia, 10(4), 591–598. https://doi.org/10.17267/2238-2704rpf.v10i4.3052

Hill, P. L., Edmonds, G. W., & Hampson, S. E. (2019). A purposeful lifestyle is a healthful lifestyle: Link-ing sense of purpose to self-rated health through multiple health behaviors. Journal of Health Psychology, 24(10), 1392–1400. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317708251

Hooker, S. A., & Masters, K. S. (2016). Purpose in life is associated with physical activity measured by accelerometer. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(6), 962–971. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314542822

Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. (2020). Estimativas da população residente para os mu-nicípios e unidades da federação brasileiros. https://www.ibge.gov.br/en/statistics/social/population/18448-estimates-of-resident-population-for-municipalities-and-federation-units.html

Kang, Y., Strecher, V. J., Kim, E., & Falk, E. B. (2019). Purpose in life and conflict-related neural re-sponses during health decision-making. Health Psychology, 38(6), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000729

Koenker, R. (2006). R quantreg introduction.pdf. 2003, 1–21.

Loeb, M. B., Pincus, A., & Mueller, B. J. (1966). A Framework for Viewing Adjustment in Aging. The Ger-ontologist, 6(4), 185–187. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/6.4.185

Mazo, G. Z., & Benedetti, T. B. (2010). Adaptação do questionário internacional de atividade física para idosos. Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria e Desempenho Humano, 12(6), 480–484. https://doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2010v12n6p480

Medeiros, A. L. F., Sousa, M. V., Lunardi, M., Oliveira, S. N., & Freitas, C. D. la R. (2018). Effect of a con-current training session with different intensities in post-exercise blood pressure responses in normotensive adults. Motricidade, 13(4), 33. https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.11695

Menassa, M., Stronks, K., Khatami, F., Roa Díaz, Z. M., Espinola, O. P., Gamba, M., Itodo, O. A., Buttia, C., Wehrli, F., Minder, B., Velarde, M. R., & Franco, O. H. (2023). Concepts and definitions of healthy ageing: a systematic review and synthesis of theoretical models. EClinicalMedicine, 56, 101821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101821

Musich, S., Wang, S. S., Kraemer, S., Hawkins, K., & Wicker, E. (2018). Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults. Population Health Management, 21(2), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1089/pop.2017.0063

Neri, A. L. (2007). Baltes a la psicología: el paradigma life span aplicado al desarrollo y al envejeci-miento. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 32(0120–0534). http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?pid=S0120-05342007000200014&script=sci_arttext

Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., van den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spathis, J., Moresi, M., Pagano, R., Pagano, L., Vasconcellos, R., Arnott, H., Varley, B., Parker, P., Biddle, S., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic re-view and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, e075847. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-075847

Organização Pan-Americana de Saúde. (2020). OMS lança novas diretrizes sobre atividade física e com-portamento sedentário. https://www.paho.org/pt/noticias/26-11-2020-oms-lanca-novas-diretrizes-sobre-atividade-fisica-e-comportamento-sedentario

Ribeiro, C. C., Neri, A. L., & Yassuda, M. S. (2018a). Semantic-cultural validation and internal consisten-cy analysis of the Purpose in Life Scale for brazilian older adults. Dementia & Neuropsycholo-gia, 12(3), 244–249. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642018dn12-030004

Ribeiro, C. C., Yassuda, M. S., & Neri, A. L. (2020). Propósito de vida em adultos e idosos: revisão inte-grativa. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 25(6), 2127–2142. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020256.20602018

Ribeiro, O., Duarte, N., Teixeira, L., & Paúl, C. (2018b). Frailty and depression in centenarians. Interna-tional Psychogeriatrics, 30(1), 115–124. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217001910

Ruissen, G. R., Liu, Y., Schmader, T., Lubans, D. R., Harden, S. M., Wolf, S. A., Rhodes, R. E., Dunlop, W. L., Puterman, E., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2020). Effects of Group‐Based Exercise on Flourishing and Stigma Consciousness among Older Adults: Findings from a Randomised Con-trolled Trial. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 12(2), 559–583. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12197

Sanca-Valeriano, S., Espinola-Sánchez, M., Caballero-Alvarado, J., & Canelo-Aybar, C. (2023). Effect of high-intensity interval training compared to moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition and insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Heliyon, 9(10), e20402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20402

Schaefer, S. M., Morozink Boylan, J., van Reekum, C. M., Lapate, R. C., Norris, C. J., Ryff, C. D., & Da-vidson, R. J. (2013). Purpose in Life Predicts Better Emotional Recovery from Negative Stimuli. PLoS ONE, 8(11), e80329. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080329

Strain, T., Flaxman, S., Guthold, R., Semenova, E., Cowan, M., Riley, L. M., Bull, F. C., Stevens, G. A., Ab-dul Raheem, R., Agoudavi, K., Alfred Anderssen, S., Alkhatib, W., Aly, E. A. H., Anjana, R. M., Bauman, A., Bovet, P., Brito Moniz, T., Bulotaitė, G., Caixeta, R., … Zoma, L. R. (2024). National, regional, and global trends in insufficient physical activity among adults from 2000 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 507 population-based surveys with 5·7 million participants. The Lancet Global Health, 12(8), e1232–e1243. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00150-5

Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y., Canada, B., & Terracciano, A. (2024). Purpose in Life and Risk of Falls: A Meta-Analysis of Cross-Sectional and Prospective Associations. Gerontology and Geriat-ric Medicine, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214241236039

Tomioka, K., Kurumatani, N., & Hosoi, H. (2016). Relationship of Having Hobbies and a Purpose in Life With Mortality, Activities of Daily Living, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Among Community-Dwelling Elderly Adults. Journal of Epidemiology, 26(7), 361–370. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20150153

Vella, C. A., Taylor, K., & Drummer, D. (2017). High‐intensity interval and moderate‐intensity continu-ous training elicit similar enjoyment and adherence levels in overweight and obese adults. Eu-ropean Journal of Sport Science, 17(9), 1203–1211. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2017.1359679

Venegas-Sanabria, L. C., Cavero-Redondo, I., Martínez-Vizcaino, V., Cano-Gutierrez, C. A., & Álvarez-Bueno, C. (2022). Effect of multicomponent exercise in cognitive impairment: a systematic re-view and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics, 22(1), 617. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03302-1

Wilson, R. S., Capuano, A. W., James, B. D., Amofa, P., Arvanitakis, Z., Shah, R., Bennett, D. A., & Boyle, P. A. (2018). Purpose in Life and Hospitalization for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions in Old Age. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(3), 364–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2017.06.022

Wu, Z.-J., Wang, Z.-Y., Gao, H.-E., Zhou, X.-F., & Li, F.-H. (2021). Impact of high-intensity interval train-ing on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, physical fitness, and metabolic parameters in older adults: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Experimental Gerontology, 150, 111345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2021.111345

Zhang, Z., & Chen, W. (2021). Longitudinal Associations Between Physical Activity and Purpose in Life Among Older Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis. Journal of Aging and Health, 33(10), 941–952. https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643211019508

Downloads

Published

2025-08-14

How to Cite

Antunes, G., Fank, F., Amaral da Rocha, A. R., & Zarpellon Mazo, G. (2025). Life purpose in older adults is associated with vigorous physical activity. Retos, 71, 23–32. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v71.115032

Issue

Vol. 71 (2025)

Section

Original Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Gabriel Antunes, Felipe Fank, Ana Rafaela Amaral da Rocha, Giovana Zarpellon Mazo

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
  2. Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).

This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.