Vital Role of Brief Advice in Promoting Leisure-Time Physical Activity among Older Adults in Thailand

Background: Brief advice (BA) is crucial for promoting leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) within primary care, as recommended in health promotion services. In Thailand, BA programs such as NCDs Clinic and DPAC (Diet & Physical Activity Clinic) are implemented. Therefore, it’s vital to examine the effect of brief advice on changing LTPA behavior among pre-older and older adults, given its importance in health promotion initiatives.

Purpose: This study examines the effect of brief advice on LTPA in pre-older adults and older adults.

Methods: The study used data from Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity (SPA) 2023, sampling 4,198 Thai adults aged 45 or older through multistage random sampling to achieve a nationally representative sample. LTPA was assessed subjectively using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) version 2.0 (Thai version).

Results: The proportion of pre-older and older adults in Thailand who have received advice on physical activity (PA) stands at 49.3%, which is lower than the proportion of those who have never (50.7%). Regarding LTPA behavior, individuals who have ever received PA advice were 1.15 times more likely to engage in LTPA compared to those who have never received advice. Furthermore, residents in communities with health spaces were 1.57 times more likely to engage in LTPA than those without.

Conclusions: BA provided in primary health care regarding PA, as well as age-friendly cities and communities of health space, have an impact on LTPA among pre-older adults and older adults.

Practical implications: Promoting the establishment of an efficient service system and service package of BA with nationwide coverage will serve as another approach to encourage older adults to participate in sufficient PA and improve their quality of life even further.

Funding: The SPAs were funded by Thai Health Promotion Foundation grant number 66–00232.