NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to the notion that older adults don't like exercise classes, a new study shows that they're open to it -- as long as they're not surrounded by 20-somethings.

In fact, researchers found, among the 947 adults they surveyed, 70-year-olds and 30-year-olds were similar in their exercise preferences. The older adults were no more likely to say they preferred to exercise alone; but if they were going to take a class, they wanted it to be with people their own age -- as did the younger study participants.

The findings, published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, contradict the idea that if older adults are going to exercise, they generally want to do it alone.

Although studies have shown that young adults are much more likely to turn up in exercise classes, it may be that concentration of 20- and 30-year-olds, rather than an aversion to group exercise, that keeps older men and women away.

So the health and fitness fields should keep offering exercise classes geared toward older adults, according to lead study author Dr. Mark R. Beauchamp of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

"What our study highlights is that although older adults may report a lack of appeal for exercising with those much younger than themselves, they actually exhibit a positive preference for exercising with those of their own age," Beauchamp told Reuters Health.

What's more, he noted, research has consistently shown that people are less likely to stick with an exercise regimen if they go it alone rather than as part of a group.

Giving older adults chances to exercise with others their age might provide "a valuable vehicle to foster their long-term adherence," Beauchamp said.

The findings are based on responses from 947 UK adults ages 30 to 91 who were asked to rate their attitudes toward exercising alone, exercising with people their own age, and exercising with people substantially younger or older than they were.

The researchers found that people of all ages typically preferred to exercise with others their age. Adults in their 50s and beyond took a dim view of working out with people in their 20s and 30s, but were much more positive about exercising with their peers.

Besides a physical workout, group exercise also offers a chance for socializing, Beauchamp noted, which in itself is important for many older adults.