Understanding and Evaluating Access to Group-Based Older Adult Exercise Programing: Demographics, Distributions, and Dimensions of Levesque's Access to Healthcare Framework.

Purpose: To evaluate participant demographics and program distributions and understand characteristics of access in an older adult exercise program in Saskatchewan, Canada. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was circulated to exercise participants and leaders to understand and evaluate demographics, program locations, and characteristics of participant access. Results: Of 589 complete participant and 207 leader surveys, most respondents were female (87% and 94%, respectively) and white (97% for both groups), with 68% of participants and 49% of leaders being urban residents. Some equity-deserving groups such as widows and low-income earners were well-represented. Program density was higher in regions with dedicated implementation staffing, and travel was the most agreed-upon barrier to access. Conclusion: There is evidence of under- and over-representation of certain equity-deserving populations in this exercise program, as well as regional differences in program availability. Future research could explore system-wide factors that support ongoing program implementation while reducing equity-related gaps.