Self-Regulation and Planning Strategies to Initiate and Maintain Physical Activity Among Older People.

Abstract

Self-regulation is the capability of the individual to actively decrease the discrepancy between intended behaviour and set goals. General theories of self-regulation such as the Control Theory are supplemented by developmental self-regulatory theories such as the Theory of Selection, Optimisation, and Compensation in explaining the regulation of physical activity (PA). In the context of PA interventions, two important self-regulatory strategies are self-monitoring and planning. There is research indicating that self-regulation interventions effectively promote PA in older adults. However, there is also a body of evidence showing the limitations of these interventions in this age group. Possible interactions of self-regulation capacity with age-related changes in cognition, motivation, as well as physical functioning in the context of PA are discussed.