La demanda ausente de actividad física en las personas mayores en España. Aspectos promocionales y organizativos para su conversión en clientes de las organizaciones deportivas

Abstract

Nowadays there has been noticed a demographical aging of the population in Spain as well as at an international level. This fact is especially seen in developed countries. For this reason elderly people now are a group of special interest regarding the field of investigations. There exist a lot of scientific studies which show the benefits of physical and sports activity towards elderly people in a physical, psychological and social way. Furthermore there are studies which corroborate that physical and sports activity brings benefits back to society (possibility to reduce costs in the health sector). However and in spite of these studies, the index of physical and sports activity in elderly people in Spain as well as at an international level is low. Prior studies investigated the reasons for which elderly people do not exercise neither physical nor sports activity. Those motives have to do with factors like health problems, a lack of knowledge regarding the benefits of physical activity and the offers of sport facilities, using their leisure time for other activities, and a low self-confidence regarding the realization of physical or sports activity. In this context the objective of the present study is to investigate the motives why elderly people in Spain do not exercise physical activity neither want to convert themselves in people who perform physical and sports activity. In this way, knowing the possible reasons of physical inactivity, there has to be developed strategies to convert those elderly people in regular performers of physical or sports activity. For this reason there has to be realized an analysis via social and demographic variables between elderly people who are performers of physical activity and those who are not, neither don´t want to be. The target group of this study is formed by the entity of people who are 65 years and older, and registered in Spain. The real sample dimension finally was formed by 933 individuals and for its calculation were considered following aspects: the population was infinite; the population variance was drawn with the pressumption most unfavorable where "P" and "Q" are equal, with a 50% each and the trust interval at 95.5%, with a failure range of ± 3.27%. The study-results show that only a 17.4% of the interviewed elderly people in Spain are exercising regularly physical activity; a 12.8% belong to the latent demand, people who do not exercise physical activity but would like to do it; and a 69.9% of the elderly people do not exercise physical activity neither want to, so they belong to the nonexistent demand. This fact is even stronger at people of 74 years of age, at elderly people who are single; at elderly people who are situated in communities with less than 10.000 citizens; more at males than at females; at elderly people who live with restrictions; at elderly people from a middle/low social stratum; and at elderly people without an academic career. Regarding the knowledge of the benefits of physical activity the elderly people who perform regularly physical activity (current demand) show a higher percentage of knowledge about the benefits than elderly people who do not perform physical activity neither want to (nonexistent demand). In the analysis of the social environments of elderly people it has been observed that elderly people of the nonexistent demand have an inferior knowledge of the physical activity-offer in their residential area than individuals of the current demand. Furthermore, people of the current demand receive a positive feedback to a greater degree than members of the nonexistent demand; by their kids, their neighbors, their friends and their marriage partner. One of the channels which require a special interest for elderly people is the medical recommendation, because of the relevance of medical personnel for elderly people. It has been proved that people who exercise physical activity (current demand) received a higher percentage of medical advice than individuals who do not perform physical activity either want to be (nonexistent demand). The main reasons for elderly people belonging to the nonexistent demand not to perform any physical or sports activity are: “I prefer to do other things”; “I´m feeling very tired”; “bad health status”; and “I have a physical disability”. Anyway there exist possibilities to convert elderly people of the nonexistent demand to performers of physical or sports activity, because it has been proved that there are physical activities which elderly people are disposed to realize. In fact, it has been proved that there exist a high number of elderly people belonging to the nonexistent demand who would like to do walking (and so they do). This activity is followed by: dancing; weak physical activity; swimming; and gymnastics (in decreasing order). So within the so-called nonexistent demand exists a latent demand with activities which do not require a big effort or abilities, and which in some cases are defined by a playful character. Having this information about elderly people, it would be very interesting to realize a research about the consumption of services and products which are related to physical and sports activity by elderly people belonging to the nonexistent as well as the current demand, investigating characteristic traits, behaviors and other variables which cause differences. Then it would be possible to create appropriate marketing strategies for every single group with the objective to increase the number of elderly people who perform regularly physical or sports activity.