Background: Physical exercise contributes to healthy ageing, and strength training has beenshown to improve independence in older people.
Method: Six hundred older people wererandomly selected from the Swedish population, and sent a self-completion questionnaire(57% response rate, n¼343) examining exercise history, current strength training, andperceived benefits and barriers to strength training.
Results: Gender was associated with aperceived positive effect of strength training on quality of life (Women 42% vs. Men 27%).The most commonly reported benefits of strength training were better mobility (71%), energy(70%), and muscle strength (69%), with most benefits endorsed more commonly by womenthan men. The most commonly reported barriers to strength training were believing otherforms of exercise more suitable (49%) and cost (20%; Women 31% vs. Men 13%).
Discussion:To better promote healthy ageing, interventions should be embedded in an understanding ofthe effect of gender on exercise behaviour.