The differences between individuals of various ages are an essential topic for health and medicine investigations. While some scholars suggest that young people are less physically fit than older representatives, other researchers claim that this statement does not consider additional factors (Harris, 2016; Honary et al., 2019). People of contrasting ages encounter significant complications when participating in fitness activities. In this work, different views on the young generation’s health capabilities will be explored and compared to those of older individuals.
Informational Struggle
Scholarly interest regarding the physiological conditions of multiple age groups has largely increased over the last decades. Lupton (2020) sought to examine the current behavioral traits of young populations to ascertain their degree of athleticism and contrast them with the older generations. The scholarly evidence obtained proposes that digital health applications increase adolescents’ knowledge regarding implementing different strategies to maintain an adequate lifestyle (Lupton, 2020). It appears that Internet-based sources provide substantial amounts of information on health issues and problematic conditions, prompting teenagers to involve in fitness activities. Moreover, various technological devices allow younger generations to participate in more complicated health-related endeavors, reaching higher levels of athleticism when compared to older people (Lupton, 2020). However, while teenagers can access large amounts of information, they are deprived of the advantages of human communication. Interestingly, this lack of socializing is not present in older generations, meaning that they are able to maintain continuous fitness activities (Lupton, 2020). Altogether, the research described highlights that younger people are more accommodated to engage in physical exercises, elevating their athleticism levels.
Adolescents’ knowledge in connection to health issues is a lucrative topic of scholarly discourse. Harris (2016) further explores the youth’s physical condition and information availability, stating that a healthism approach is evident in younger generations. The authors declare that students are less likely to talk about physiological issues and healthy lifestyles, as well as to improve their overall strength and physical abilities (Harris et al., 2018). Even though a large body of knowledge is available through online sources, most individuals disregard this data, possessing a rather simplistic understanding of discussed complications (Harris et al., 2018). Moreover, the participants were highly confused with the notions of various sports and activities, presenting a decreased readiness for physical actions (Harris et al., 2018). In contrast with older generations, young people possess various misconceptions and are commonly overwhelmed with available information. Adults are believed to be more superior in this regard, having more sport experience from their education stages and being less involved in electronic media (Harris et al., 2018). Overall, older individuals are more likely to present a higher degree of athleticism, as young generations struggle to categorize health-related concepts.
Training Behaviours and Attitudes
An essential addition to this topic’s discussion pertains to exercise behaviors. Experimental research perpetrated by Honary et al. (2019) provides data that various healthy eating and fitness promotion apps vastly impact adolescents’ exercise behaviors, eventually affecting their physical shape. According to the findings, young individuals are susceptible to guilt formation and fear of gaining negative responses because of the mobile applications agenda, which forces them to stop participating in physical activities (Honary et al., 2019). Due to the arising feelings of being controlled by the media’s advice, teenagers often disregard the necessity to manage their athleticism levels, decreasing their overall physiological condition and causing maladaptive eating disorders (Honary et al., 2019). Compared to older generations, young people appear to be more influenced by social media, while adults do not feel the aforementioned pressure, making them more ready to partake in exercise. It is clear that younger individuals might be intimidated by the digital sources’ requirements, forcing them to surrender fitness endeavors and become less athletic.
The behavioral athleticism patterns of older generations should also be considered. Rahman et al. (2020) argue that adults can also experience psychological intimidation due to various social factors, discouraging them from physical activities. Such barriers as lack of motivation, poor health, and absence of credible sports programs often diminish the individuals’ capability to participate in health enhancement strategies (Rahman et al., 2020). The scholars report that older adults require organized systems of exercising, which are commonly available for a specific price, not always suitable for the person (Rahman et al., 2020). Some participants also felt unenthusiastic due to skepticism about their abilities to improve themselves (Rahman et al., 2020). Furthermore, while young people are proficient in technologies, creating additional options for training, older individuals might encounter various difficulties when searching for exercise opportunities. Such complications divert the participants’ attention, compelling them to avoid physical actions altogether.
To conclude, multiple approaches to investigating younger and older individuals’ physiological conditions were presented in this work. Researchers provide a substantial amount of evidence regarding different age groups, such as better health information available to younger audiences. It appears that accessibility of knowledge can cause both positive and negative outcomes, either prompting the person to increase their physical shape or adversely impacting their understanding of fitness aspects. Older people have been shown to encounter significant difficulties as well, for example, lacking necessary motivation. Overall, it is imperative to discuss the complications experienced by all age groups and search for viable solutions to resolve these issues.
References
Harris, J., Cale, L., Duncombe, R., & Musson, H. (2018). Young people’s knowledge and understanding of health, fitness and physical activity: Issues, divides and dilemmas. Sport, Education and Society, 23(5), 407–420.
Honary, M., Bell, B. T., Clinch, S., Wild, S. E., & McNaney, R. (2019). Understanding the role of healthy eating and fitness mobile apps in the formation of maladaptive eating and exercise behaviors in young people. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 7(6).
Lupton, D. (2020). ‘Better understanding about what’s going on’: Young Australians’ use of digital technologies for health and fitness. Sport, Education and Society, 25(1), 1–13.
Rahman, M. M., Gu, D., Liang, C., Rashid, R. M., & Akter, M. (2020). Effects of attitude, motivation, and eagerness for physical activity among middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2020(3), 1–9.
