Short answer
Designers must move beyond generic health promotion and deeply understand the lived experiences and environmental contexts of their target users, especially when addressing health inequalities.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2025)
- Method
- Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Understanding the nuanced interplay of capability, opportunity, and motivation, as perceived by older adults from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is crucial for designing effective physical activity interventions. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Using Systematic review of qualitative literature, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers must move beyond generic health promotion and deeply understand the lived experiences and environmental contexts of their target users, especially when addressing health inequalities.
Socio-economic status significantly shapes older adults' motivations and opportunities for physical activity.
Understanding the nuanced interplay of capability, opportunity, and motivation, as perceived by older adults from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is crucial for designing effective physical activity interventions.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Low-SES older adults' physical capability is influenced by health, fitness, and mobility.
- 02Psychological capability is shaped by knowledge and self-regulation.
- 03Physical opportunity is affected by safety, infrastructure, and access to facilities.
- 04Social opportunity is linked to social support, norms, and engagement.
- 05Motivation is driven by outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, attitudes, habits, time constraints, and enjoyment.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers must move beyond generic health promotion and deeply understand the lived experiences and environmental contexts of their target users, especially when addressing health inequalities.
How to apply
When designing a community fitness program or a health-tracking app for older adults, conduct user research specifically with individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds to identify and address their unique challenges and preferences.
Project actions
- 01When researching user needs, ensure your sample represents a range of socio-economic backgrounds.
- 02Consider how environmental factors like public transport or park safety might impact a user's ability to engage with your design.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Comprehensive synthesis of qualitative data provides rich insights into user perspectives.
- +Application of the COM-B model offers a structured framework for understanding behaviour change.
Limitations
It can be challenging to recruit participants from very specific socio-economic groups, and their willingness to share personal financial or health information may vary.
Reliability & validity
The systematic review methodology, including risk of bias assessment and framework synthesis, enhances the reliability and validity of the synthesized findings.
Think critically
How might a designer ethically and effectively gather sensitive information about socio-economic status and its impact on user behaviour without alienating participants?
Design Principles
"Design for inclusivity by accounting for diverse socio-economic factors that influence user behaviour and access."
Designers creating products, services, or environments aimed at promoting physical activity in older populations must recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient. Tailoring solutions to address specific socio-economic barriers and leverage existing enablers can lead to more equitable and successful outcomes.
What This Means for Your Design
The way older people can and want to be active depends a lot on their money, where they live, and who they know. Designs need to think about these differences.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the need for user research with specific demographic groups in your design project.
- 2.Incorporate findings about capability, opportunity, and motivation into your user persona development.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This systematic review underscores the critical influence of socio-economic status on older adults' engagement with physical activity, identifying key enablers and barriers related to capability, opportunity, and motivation. These findings are essential for informing the design of interventions that are not only effective but also equitable, by acknowledging and addressing the diverse lived experiences and environmental contexts of target user groups.
Source
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Enablers and barriers to physical activity among older adults of low socio-economic status: a systematic review of qualitative literature
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about socio-economic status significantly shapes older adults' motivations and opportunities for physical activity?
- Designers must move beyond generic health promotion and deeply understand the lived experiences and environmental contexts of their target users, especially when addressing health inequalities. Evidence: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2025).
- Why does "Socio-economic status significantly shapes older adults' motivations and opportunities for physical activity." matter for design?
- Designers creating products, services, or environments aimed at promoting physical activity in older populations must recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient. Tailoring solutions to address specific socio-economic barriers and leverage existing enablers can lead to more equitable and successful outcomes.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers must move beyond generic health promotion and deeply understand the lived experiences and environmental contexts of their target users, especially when addressing health inequalities.
- What were the main findings?
- Low-SES older adults' physical capability is influenced by health, fitness, and mobility.. Psychological capability is shaped by knowledge and self-regulation.. Physical opportunity is affected by safety, infrastructure, and access to facilities.. Social opportunity is linked to social support, norms, and engagement.
- What research method was used?
- Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a community fitness program or a health-tracking app for older adults, conduct user research specifically with individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds to identify and address their unique challenges and preferences.
- What are the limitations?
- Few studies directly compared low and high SES groups, limiting the depth of understanding of specific differences.