The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of seyeficacy in older adults, with physical activity, age, and sex as the predictor variables. Regression analyses revealed physical activity to be the only statistically signi$cant predictor of seyeficacy. Thesejndings may be of interest t o counselors who work with olderpeople.
The population of the United States is rapidly aging. Life expectancies for men and women are increasing (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1997), and the over-65 age group is projected to double in size by 2020 (Bokovoy & Blair, 1994). Within the population of older Americans, the number of individuals over 85 is expected to quadruple (Zedlewski, Barnes, Burt, McBride, & Meyer, 1990). From a social perspective, individuals in the 8th and 9th decades of life are expected to be involved in the health care system to an unprecedented degree if population growth continues as projected (U.S.
Bureau of the Census, 1992). National cross-sectional surveys of physical activity consistently report that physical activity declines with age and that older adults participate in less physical exercise than d o younger adults (Stephens & Caspersen, 1994). Physical activity refers to "any bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle that increases energy expenditure above the basal level" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996a, p. 20). This definition includes all physical activities, as well as structured physical exercise. T h e relationships between health and activity and between sedentary living and disease are well documented (Cousins & Keating, 1995; Paffenbarger & Lee, 1996). The U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (1996b) reports that "as many as 250,000 deaths per year in the United States have been attributed to a lack of regular physical activity" (p. 24). If the health care system is to be responsive to the needs of an increasingly older population, preventive