Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar;32(2):131-138.
doi: 10.1037/pag0000158.

Personality and actigraphy-measured physical activity in older adults

Ashley Artese  1 , Desirae Ehley  2 , Angelina R Sutin  2 , Antonio Terracciano  3
Affiliations

Personality and actigraphy-measured physical activity in older adults

Ashley Artese et al. Psychol Aging. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Most studies on personality and physical activity have relied on self-report measures. This study examined the relation between Five Factor Model personality traits and objective physical activity in older adults. Sixty-nine participants (Mage = 80.2 years; SD = 7.1) wore the ActiGraph monitor for 7 days and completed the NEO Personality Inventory-3 First Half. Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were associated with more moderate physical activity and more steps per day whereas Neuroticism was inversely related to these physical activity measures (βs > .20). The associations for Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were attenuated by approximately 20-40% when accounting for disease burden and body mass index but were essentially unchanged for Extraversion and Agreeableness. These findings confirm self-report evidence that personality traits are associated with physical activity levels in older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scatterplot of step counts and the five major dimensions of personality with zero-order regression lines.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Balde A, Figueras J, Hawking DA, Miller JR. Physician advice to the elderly about physical activity. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 2003;11(1):90–97.
    1. Berger BG, Motl RW. Exercise and mood: A selective review and synthesis of research employing the profile of mood states. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 2000;12(1):69–92. http://doi.org/10.1080/10413200008404214. - DOI
    1. Buchman AS, Boyle PA, Wilson RS, Leurgans SE, Arnold SE, Bennett DA. Neuroticism, extraversion, and motor function in community-dwelling older persons. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2013;21(2):145–154. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2012.10.015. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chapman BP, Roberts B, Duberstein P. Personality and longevity: Knowns, unknowns, and implications for public health and personalized medicine. Journal of Aging Research. 2011;2011 http://doi.org/10.4061/2011/759170. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chodzko-Zajko WJ, Proctor DN, Fiatarone Singh MA, Minson CT, Nigg CR, Salem GJ, Skinner JS. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2009;41(7):1510–1530. http://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a0c95c. - DOI - PubMed