Abstract
We performed a survey of the psychological influence of exercise intervention by walking with set goals in the elderly. The participants were 14 elderly individuals between the ages of 65 and 79 who were divided into two groups according to whether they achieved the set goals or not. The goals were at least 8000 steps and 20 min of moderate-intensity physical activity daily. We conducted a questionnaire survey on psychological status before and after the 24-week intervention. Eight participants achieved the goals and 6 did not. The findings of psychological status showed no significant changes in all participants or in the two groups. However, we found that psychological status improved in the group that had achieved the goals but not in the group that had not achieved them. Psychological status, such as subjective well-being and the degree of satisfaction with life, were better in the group that achieved the goals than in the group that did not. An exercise intervention with set goals may lead to improvements in psychological status and health. However, if participants cannot achieve their goals, the intervention may worsen their psychological status. Our study suggests that goals could be an inhibiting factor for health promotion.
