Understanding and Evaluating Access to Group-Based Older Adult Exercise Programing: Demographics, Distributions, and Dimensions of Levesque's Access to Healthcare Framework.

PURPOSE: To evaluate participant demographics and program distributions and understand characteristics of access in an older adult exercise program in Saskatchewan, Canada.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was circulated to exercise participants and leaders to understand and evaluate demographics, program locations, and characteristics of participant access.

RESULTS

Of 589 complete participant and 207 leader surveys, most respondents were female (87% and 94%, respectively) and white (97% for both groups), with 68% of participants and 49% of leaders being urban residents. Some equity-deserving groups such as widows and low-income earners were well-represented. Program density was higher in regions with dedicated implementation staffing, and travel was the most agreed-upon barrier to access.

CONCLUSION

There is evidence of under- and over-representation of certain equity-deserving populations in this exercise program, as well as regional differences in program availability. Future research could explore system-wide factors that support ongoing program implementation while reducing equity-related gaps.