Research Priorities in Physical Activity and Aging: Results of an Expert Survey

The Physical Activity Interest Group of the CDC-funded Prevention Research Centers – Healthy Aging Research Network (PRC-HAN) conducted a survey to develop a consensus-driven, cutting-edge research agenda that identifies current gaps in knowledge in physical activity and aging research. The survey was conducted online and used a snowball approach to identify experts in physical activity research. Survey questions were developed using the RE-AIM framework. Respondents were asked to identify gaps in knowledge with respect to the impact of physical activity among older adults with respect to health/functional outcomes. One-hundred and thirty-one experts completed the survey across two rounds of administration. Survey results showed that participants had an average of 16 years of experience working in the physical activity field. Results show a strong consensus across researchers that the benefits of non-aerobic physical activity are not well understood and need more study. Very little is known about dose-response effects of physical activity and experts rated cost-effectiveness, impact of delivery channels, adequacy of program supply, and the impact of the built environment as highly important areas for future research. Experts also emphasized the need for more effectiveness research and translation and diffusion efforts, particularly with minority and low SES populations. Study results build upon the CDC 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and can be used to help forge new research priorities from the perspective of experts in the field.