Physical activity is a crucial factor in maintaining health and well-being in the elderly. Hypertension is a chronic condition that affects a considerable proportion of individuals in this population, and physical activity has been recognized as a fundamental component of disease management, as it helps to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.

To investigate the level of physical activity in hypertensive elderly people who attend two Basic Health Units in Maringá-PR.

This research was a quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study, which included elderly men and women. Data were collected in 2 Basic Health Units (UBS) between March and July 2019. Sociodemographic information and physical activity level were evaluated using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which estimates the time spent by week, in different dimensions of physical activity and inactivity. Participants with disabling neurological diseases or comprehension difficulties were excluded from the study. The significance level adopted in the tests was 5%.

The 200 respondents had a mean age of 71.2±7.8 years (minimum 60 and maximum 102 years), 98 (49.0%) were female, 127 (63.5%) were white, 84 (42.0%) were between 60 and 69 years old, 112 (56.0%) were married, 171 (85.5%) reported having children. Almost all individuals (195 or 97.5%) used antihypertensive drugs continuously, with 108 (54%) being overweight and obese and, in the IPAQ classification, 153 (82.5%) were classified as irregularly active or sedentary. When correlating the IPAQ with the sociodemographic characteristics, a significant association was observed, where individuals with a lower age group (p<0.05), with a higher income (p=0.01), and married (p=0 .02), showed a higher level of physical activity and a better health-related condition. Despite practicing physical activity, hypertensive individuals did not meet the recommendations of the World Health Organization regarding the frequency and duration of physical activity.

Most hypertensive elderly had a low level of physical activity and were classified as irregularly active or sedentary. It was also observed that changes in lifestyle and lack of education influenced the non-adherence of these individuals to non-drug treatment and the usual practice of physical activity, which was the greatest difficulty observed in the study.

Health education and promotion strategies should be carried out to increase the level of physical activity and improve adherence to non-pharmacological treatment in this population, aiming to reduce the costs of health services that systemic arterial hypertension causes.