What Do We Mean by Older Adult and Physical Activity? Reviewing the Use of These Terms in Recent Research

As our global population ages, physical activity has been found to be an important dimension of healthy aging. Many research fields use the terms "older adult" and "physical activity," but differences in how these terms are defined and conceptualized can impair interpretation and comparison. As such, the purpose of this review was to determine how recent peer-reviewed articles defined, conceptualized, and operationalized the terms "older adult" and "physical activity." Gaps in the literature resulting from considerable variation in term use and operationalization are discussed. Measures such as functional ability may be useful in addition to chronological age when describing a sample of "older adults," while a number of age-specific considerations for physical activity measurement are presented. By illustrating the variability in how these two terms are used in the literature and outlining considerations for conceptualization and assessment, this article provides guidance for future study in the field of aging and physical activity.