The increasing aging trend is gradually becoming an important issue for most countries in the 21st century. According to data released by the United Nations, the aging trend will continue to deepen globally, with the proportion of the global population aged 65 and above due to ri

se to 16% in 2050 [1]. Unfortunately, the Chinese government faces an even greater challenge. The data released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that the number of people aged 60 and older has reached 264.02 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total population [2]. In o

rder to better cope with the possible health problems caused by population aging, the Chinese government issued the “National Medium and Long-term Plan for Actively Coping with Population Aging”, which elevates coping with population aging to a national strategy. Encouraging midd

le-aged and older groups to participate in physical exercise is an important approach to actively cope with population aging. Numerous studies have shown that physical exercise can significantly improve the physical and mental health and social participation of older people [3,4,

5,6,7], and thus, improve their overall health and wellbeing. Some European countries proposed the slogan “Sport for All” to actively promote physical fitness in middle-aged and older adults to improve their health status [8,9], and the Chinese government also included the increa

se in physical exercise participation rate in the “National Fitness Program” and “Outline for Building a Leading Sports Nation” [10].

Regarding the factors affecting physical exercise, the literature mainly explores macro and micro aspects. At the macro level, the level of regional economic development, the accessibility of physical exercise venues and the availability of scientific fitness guidance have a sign

ificant impact on individuals’ physical exercise. For example, since urban areas have better economies and more convenient sports facilities than rural areas, older adults living in cities were more likely to participate in physical exercise than those living in rural areas [11,1

2]. Moreover, several studies showed that a lack of venue facilities is another vital factor affecting older adults’ participation in physical exercise [13,14]. At the micro level, an individual’s education level, health status, lifestyle, income level and awareness of healthcare

can also have an important impact on their adoption of physical exercise [15,16]. The higher a resident’s education level [11,17], awareness of healthcare and household income [18], the more frequently they participate in physical exercise.