Australia's new sedentary behaviour guidelines could be doing more harm than good, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic.

Dr Rylee Dionigi, a senior lecturer in the CSU School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst, says the reality is that older people are being left behind when it comes to public policy, despite yesterday being International Day of Older Persons with the theme 'Leaving No One Behind'.

Dr Dionigi teaches social science aspects of exercise science and her work involves critiquing the popular assumption that everyone should remain physically active throughout his or her life.

She says sport and physical activity participation are often viewed by public officials as cost-effective and universally appropriate solutions to disease management, and that many exercise scientists support this view and are eager to capitalise on prevailing sentiments about the value of sport.

However, her research over the past 10 years has shown that if we continue to present an uncritical response to the effects of social inequality in health outcomes, especially among older people, there is potential for negative consequences.

"Firstly, this could perpetuate a cultural fear and denial of ill health in old age that may make the final stages of life unbearable for some," Dr Dionigi said.

"It could also create a social disconnect among individuals who do keep active and those who do not, by not accepting differences in ageing.

"Finally, it could widen the gap between those who have the means, ability and desire to take responsibility for their health and those who do not, especially if this uncritical thinking and practice leads to cuts in welfare support for the aged, as in the United States and the United Kingdom."

Dr Dionigi notes that the Australian Government's recently released physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines are another example of shifting the blame of the burden of disease to the individual - in this case, the old, the poor, the young, the Indigenous, and visible minorities.

"The ultimate goal of these guidelines is for everyone to 'move more and sit less', regardless of age, gender, race or circumstance," she said.

"Sedentary behaviour has become medicalised, moralised and positioned as an epidemic of our times, and getting more people moving is presented as the solution.

"The guidelines are based on fear tactics, and in this context the pleasures associated with passive leisure, such as watching television or a movie, reading, contemplating, using the computer, or relaxing with friends, are either demonised or absent.

"One outcome of this current push for everyone to be physically active as they age is that highly active older people are visible, idealised and exploited, while sedentary older people are victimised, medically treated, or ignored. Ultimately, older people and ageing are still not valued in our society.

"Therefore, it is about time that we listen to the older person who is targeted in these health promotion messages, rather than measure how their leisure practices meet (or fail to meet) current policy definitions of active and productive ageing. We must use older people's stories and wisdom to inform public policy."