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Older Australians exercising more than ever before: statistics

Xinhua, October 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Elderly Australians are increasingly defying their age by fostering more active social lives and getting more exercise than ever before, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Tuesday.

Nearly half of all older Australians - those aged 65 and over - participated in exercise activities in 2015, up a further 5 percent compared to three years ago, the ABS's Justine Boland said.

"The number of older Australians aged 65 years and over who participated in exercise or physical recreation increased from 44.5 percent in 2012 to 49.2 percent in 2015," Boland, ABS Program Manager of Health and Disability Statistics, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This is great news, as we know an active and social lifestyle is associated with better health outcomes."

The ABS said as healthcare improves and life expectancy continues to increase, the proportion of healthy older Australians would continue to grow.

Boland added that the proportion of elderly Australians with a disability had also decreased over the same period.

"In 2015, 50.7 percent of older people were living with disability, down from 52.7 percent in 2012," Boland said.

"These findings reveal a positive trend that older Australians are healthier, living longer without disability and are in less need of assistance." Endit