Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test a model delineating the factors known to influence fear of falling and exercise behavior among older adults.
Design and methods: This was a secondary data analysis using baseline data from the Bone Health study. A total of 866 individuals from two online communities participated in the study: 161 (18.6%) were from SeniorNet and 683 (78.9%) were from MyHealtheVet. More than half (63%) of the participants were male with a mean age of 62.8 (SD = 8.5) years. The majority was White (89%) and married (53%) and had some college education (87%).
Results: Knowledge about osteoporosis and awareness one has a diagnosis of osteoporosis directly influenced fear of falling, and knowledge of osteoporosis directly and indirectly influenced exercise behavior. A diagnosis of osteoporosis indirectly influenced exercise behavior. Taken together, the hypothesized model explained 13% of the variance in exercise behavior.
Implications: Improving knowledge of osteoporosis and awareness of having a diagnosis of osteoporosis, decreasing fear of falling, and strengthening self-efficacy and outcome expectations for exercise may help improve exercise behavior among older adults.