Walking habits in elderly widows.

• Walking habits were studied in 3 groups of elderly widows. The average walking time per week was calculated from interviews or questionnaires. There was in a small studied group a tendency for walking time to be lower at 3 and 12 months after loss than at 4 or 5 years. An increased odds ratio was demonstrated in larger groups of widows for walking less than 120 minutes per week in those who "did not feel healthy," or who had "musculoskeletal health problems," or "cardiovascular health problems." Widows from a population-based study also showed increased odds ratio for not walking as long with "lack of friends" and "not being active in associations." This was not found in married women from the population study. Our results indicate that newly bereaved women may reduce their physical activity, and that the change in exercise habits may be associated with reduced perception of being healthy and a decreased social network.

Keyword

Aged

Aged

80 and over

Attitude to Health

Bereavement

Exercise

psychology

Female

Friends

Habits

Health Behavior

Health Status

Humans

Life Change Events

Linear Models

Logistic Models

Middle Aged

Multivariate Analysis

Nursing Methodology Research

Questionnaires

Social Support

Spouses

psychology

statistics & numerical data

Sweden

Walking

psychology

statistics & numerical data

Widowhood

psychology

statistics & numerical data

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)