Older Community Residents Who Participate in Group Activities Have Higher Daily Physical Activity Levels and Lower Medical Costs

Participation in a group activity improves levels of activities of daily living and self-rated health in community-dwelling older adults. However, whether the group activity is associated with daily physical activity (PA) levels and medical costs has not yet been explored. The author administered a questionnaire to participants of group activities for community-dwelling older adults. Levels of daily PA were greater in those who participated once a month (n = 1147), twice a month (n = 1432), and 4 times a month (n = 635) compared with nonparticipating counterparts (n = 570). In the stepwise regression, group activity participation rate was identified as an independent predictor of daily PA levels. Before group activities began, there were no differences in medical costs between participants (n = 721) and nonparticipants (n = 1124). However, after group activities were established, medical costs were lower in participants than in nonparticipants. These results suggest that older community residents who participate in group activities have higher daily PA levels and lower medical costs.