Motivation, community, and resilience in older adults’ exercise: a three-year qualitative follow-up to the BELL trial

This qualitative study explores the long-term impact of the BELL trial’s weekly group kettlebell training on older adults’ engagement, community building, and intrinsic motivation. Three years post-trial, participants from the ‘Wednesday Friends’ group were interviewed to understand how social bonds, shared leadership, adaptability, and health benefits contributed to their sustained participation. Applying the COM-B model and the four C’s model of thematic analysis, findings reveal that social support, resilience, and self-efficacy were central to continued engagement, underscoring key motivators for older adults’ adherence to group-based exercise. These insights offer healthcare providers data-driven strategies to foster long-term engagement in community exercise programs for older adults.