“The Social Side Is as Important as the Physical Side”: Older Men’s Experiences of Physical Activity

North American “hegemonic masculinity” values strength, autonomy, independence, and resilience among its ideals. As men age, their capacity is increasingly challenged and demands that they adapt to new physical and social realities. Although some reports on effective health-promoting programs for men are emerging, there is a need to better understand older men’s experiences with their mobility and physical activity. This is a photovoice study with men ( N = 14) who were enrolled in a choice-based activity program for low active men. Based on in-depth interviews and analysis of over 800 photographs, three key themes emerged: the importance of social connectedness, supportive environments, and positive attitude toward the future. Findings are presented via a theoretical view of masculinities as socially constructed through relational behaviors and norms. Analyses provide insight into older men’s motivation to be physically active and highlight the need for programs and policies customized to promote physical activity of older men.

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Experiences of Habitual Physical Activity in Maintaining Roles and Functioning among Older Adults: A Qualitative Study

Rehabilitation Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2016/1459597 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hadeel Halaweh ◽

Ulla Svantesson ◽

Carin Willén

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Habitual Physical Activity ◽

Physically Active ◽

Age Related ◽

The Status ◽

Protective Strategy ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Age Related Changes

Physically active older adults have reduced risk of functional restrictions and role limitations. Several aspects may interrelate and influence habitual physical activity (PA). However, older adults’ own perspectives towards their PA need to be addressed. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of habitual physical activity in maintaining roles and functioning among older adult Palestinians ≥60 years. Data were collected through in-depth interviews based on a narrative approach. Seventeen participants were recruited (aged 64–84 years). Data were analyzed using a narrative interpretative method.Findings. Three central narratives were identified,“keep moving, stay healthy,”“social connectedness, a motive to stay active,”and “adapting strategies to age-related changes.” Conclusion. Habitual physical activity was perceived as an important factor to maintain functioning and to preserve active roles in older adults. Walking was the most prominent pattern of physical activity and it was viewed as a vital tool to maintain functioning among the older adults. Social connectedness was considered as a contributing factor to the status of staying active. To adapt the process of age-related changes in a context to stay active, the participants have used different adapting strategies, including protective strategy, awareness of own capabilities, and modifying or adopting new roles.

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Choose to Move: A Health Promoting Physical Activity Intervention Can Also Enhance Social Connectedness

10.21203/rs.3.rs-65551/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Thea Franke ◽

Joanie Sims-Gould ◽

Lindsay Nettlefold ◽

Callista Ottoni ◽

Heather A. McKay

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Meaningful Interaction ◽

Depth Interviews

Abstract Background: Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), older adults are the least active citizens. Older adults are also at risk for loneliness. Given that lonely individuals are at risk for accelerated loss of physical functioning and health with age, PA interventions that aim to enhance social connectedness may decrease loneliness and increase long-term PA participation. The objectives of this mixed-method study are to: (1) evaluate whether an evidence-based PA intervention (Choose to Move; CTM) influenced PA and social connectedness differently among self-identified ‘lonely’ versus ‘not lonely’ older adults and (2) describe features of CTM that promote social connectedness.Methods: Two community delivery partner organizations delivered 56 CTM programs in 26 urban locations across British Columbia. We collected survey data from participants (n=458 at baseline) at 0 (baseline), 3 (mid-intervention) and 6 (post-intervention) months. We conducted in depth interviews with a subset of older adults at baseline (n=43), mid-intervention (n=38) and post-intervention (n=19).Results: PA increased from baseline to 3 months in lonely and not lonely participants. PA decreased from 3-6 months in lonely participants; however, PA at 6 months remained above baseline levels in both groups. Loneliness decreased from baseline to 3 and 6 months in participants identifying as lonely at baseline. Features of CTM that influence social connectedness include: Activity coach characteristics/personality traits and approaches; opportunity to share information and experiences and learn from others; engagement with others who share similar/familiar experiences; increased opportunity for meaningful interaction; and accountability.Conclusion: PA interventions that focus on social connectedness, through group-based activities can improve the health of older adults by addressing both loneliness and PA. Building social connectedness within a PA intervention for older adults may support long term changes in PA behaviours.

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Motivating students for physical activity: What can we learn from student perspectives?

European Physical Education Review ◽

10.1177/1356336x20970215 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1356336X2097021

Author(s):

Gwendolijn MM Boonekamp ◽

John AJ Dierx ◽

Erik Jansen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

School Setting ◽

Well Being ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Student Perspectives ◽

Physically Active ◽

School Based ◽

The Social ◽

Unique Method ◽

Health Promoting

Regular physical activity (PA) contributes to lifelong health and well-being. Adolescents in the Netherlands do not engage in sufficient PA, leading to serious health risks. The purpose of this study is to inform PA-enhancing strategies. This paper offers a unique method for analysing students’ perspectives about opportunities for PA in their school environments. The research method combines two approaches: a Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach, which supports children’s development by using the school setting to promote PA, and a salutogenic approach, which engages all students in dialogue and reflection to identify factors or ‘assets’ that enhance their PA. Ninety-three students aged 12–14 from four secondary pre-vocational education schools participated in two group sessions in which the structured interview matrix and photovoice methods were employed. In these sessions, the students interacted with each other about four asset categories: talents, passions, the social environment and the physical environment. Thematic analyses of their dialogues led to three main insights: (a) students must perceive the activities as meaningful, appealing, contextually possible and manageable; (b) they use a wide variety of reasoning processes when deciding whether to engage in PA; and (c) it is valuable to invite students to share their individual perspectives on assets related to PA. All these aspects connect to the goals of both HPS and salutogenesis. We conclude that shifting the focus towards developing school-based interventions that build on student perspectives and active participation provides students with realistic opportunities for shaping PA and motivates them to be more physically active.

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Exploring the Health-Promoting Potential of the “parkrun” Phenomenon: What Factors are Associated With Higher Levels of Participation?

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/0890117118770106 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 13-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Verity Cleland ◽

Meredith Nash ◽

Melanie J. Sharman ◽

Suzi Claflin

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Regression Models ◽

Online Survey ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Health Gain ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physically Active ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Intentions To Participate

Purpose: “ parkrun” is a free and increasingly popular weekly 5-km walk/run international community event, representing a novel setting for physical activity (PA) promotion. However, little is known about who participates or why. This study aimed to identify sociodemographic, health, behavioral, individual, social, and environmental factors associated with higher levels of participation. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Tasmania, Australia; June 2016. Participants: Three hundred seventy two adult parkrun participants. Measures: Online survey measuring sociodemographic, health, individual, social and environmental factors, parkrun participation, and PA. Analysis: Descriptive statistics, zero-truncated Poisson regression models. Results: Respondents (n = 371) were more commonly women (58%), aged 35 to 53 years (54%), and occasional or nonwalkers/runners (53%) at registration. A total of 44% had overweight/obesity. Half had non-adult children, most spoke English at home, and 7% reported PA-limiting illness/injury/disability. Average run/walk time was 30.2 ± 7.4 minutes. Compared to regular walkers/runners at registration, nonwalkers/runners were less commonly partnered, more commonly had overweight/obesity, less physically active, and had poorer self-rated health. Multivariate analyses revealed relative parkrun participation was inversely associated with education level and positively associated with interstate parkrun participation, perceived social benefits, self-efficacy for parkrun, and intentions to participate. Conclusion: parkrun attracts nonwalkers/runners and population groups hard to engage in physical activity. Individual- and social-level factors were associated with higher relative parkrun participation. parkrun’s scalability, accessibility, and wide appeal confers a research imperative to investigate its potential for public health gain.

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In sickness and in health: The strains and gains of caring for a chronically ill or disabled spouse

Chronic Illness ◽

10.1177/1742395316664960 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 75-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Victoria L Solomi ◽

Rachel E Casiday

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Marital Relationship ◽

Chronically Ill ◽

Subjective Experiences ◽

Relational Experiences ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Insight Into

Objectives To examine the subjective experiences of spousal carers, focusing on positive, negative, and relational aspects of this role. Methods Mixed-methods exploratory study involving questionnaires ( N = 40) and in-depth interviews ( N = 8) with spousal carers in the southwest of England. Results Participants used a combination of negative and positive terms to describe their experiences, with the cared-for spouse's mental acuity, behavior towards the carer, and amount of care required, impacting on carers' subjective experience. Women were more likely to report neglecting their own health because of being a carer ( p = 0.02). The marital relationship itself was highly significant, and many carers took special measures to maintain and develop their marital bonds. Carers adapted to their roles in various ways, with those finding acceptance of their situation and accessing support appearing to cope best with the demands of the role. Discussion This study, though based on a small and geographically restricted sample, offers insight into the positive, negative, and relational experiences of spousal carers. Support that encourages carers to engage in health-promoting activities, and ideally provides opportunities for both partners to be involved in such activities together, may be particularly beneficial.

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The Green Prescription programme and the experiences of Pacific women in Auckland

Journal of Primary Health Care ◽

10.1071/hc12313 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 313 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicola Tava’e ◽

Vili Nosa

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Health Impact ◽

Social Aspect ◽

Pacific People ◽

The Social ◽

Education Workshop ◽

Positive Experiences ◽

Reported Health ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Exercise Referral

INTRODUCTION: Extensive research has shown the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Green Prescription (GRx) but none has focused on the experiences of Pacific women who have been through the GRx programme. The research aim was to investigate the experience of the GRx programme for Pacific women in Auckland, New Zealand. METHODS: Qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 20 Pacific women aged 40 years and older, who had been members of a GRx programme in Auckland City and Counties Manukau and had been discharged as independently active. FINDINGS: Pacific women had positive experiences of the GRx programme and identified an improvement in their physical activity, lifestyle behaviours and consequent health improvements. Positive experiences can be attributable to the social and friendly atmosphere created by their peers and staff, exercise options, and education workshop components. The social aspect of the GRx programme was the primary reason the women enjoyed and completed the programme. CONCLUSION: Pacific women reported health improvements from participation in the GRx programme. Further research is indicated to explore the health impact of the GRx for Pacific people and the benefits and acceptability of the programme for Pacific ethnic groups. KEYWORDS: Exercise referral schemes; Green Prescription; Pacific women; physical activity

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Mujeres (In)Activas: An Exploratory Study of Physical Activity among Adolescent Latinas

Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal ◽

10.1123/wspaj.14.1.95 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 95-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Katherine M. Jamieson ◽

Kaori Araki ◽

Yong Chul Chung ◽

Sun Yong Kwon ◽

Lisa Riggioni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Family Background ◽

Local Communities ◽

Self Report ◽

Immigrant Communities ◽

Physically Active ◽

Work Related ◽

The Social ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Report Measure

Recently, a significant growth in immigrant populations has influenced the social, cultural, and political landscape of many local communities. Understanding such changes in U.S. and local demography are central to effective efforts toward reducing physical inactivity, and associated health risks and diseases. In part to document the ways that physical activity currently fits into particular women’s lives, and as critique of the essentialized notions of immigrant communities as deficient in their health standards, we set out to investigate just how physically active Latinas in local communities were. The research was guided by the following two questions: 1) What are the social conditions under which adolescent Latinas make choices about physical activity? 2) To what extent are adolescent Latinas involved in physical activity? Centering on these two questions we administered questionnaires that measured current physical activity involvement, and individual and family background factors. Survey data indicate that Latina physical activity scores increase when home and work related physical activity is included in a self-report measure.

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Physical activity as a factor of health-related behaviour in Czech adults

New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences ◽

10.18844/prosoc.v4i8.2958 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (8) ◽

pp. 21-31

Author(s):

Kristyna Sindelarova

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Subjective Health ◽

Health Complaints ◽

Physically Active ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Health Related ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Behavior Health ◽

Health Related Behaviour ◽

The Relationship

Physical activity is an important salutoprotective component of health-related behaviour, which delays cardiovascular ageing and prolongs life. The aim of this research is to map the extent of physical activity carried out by adults in the Czech Republic, assess the influence of determinants of physical activity and examine the relationship between physical activity and subjective health complaints. The research sample consisted of 1,263 Czech adult respondents aged 22–93. The volume of physical activity decreases with age. Based on regression analysis, we identified the strongest predictors of physical activity such as age, gender and the personality dimensions of ascendancy and vigour (according to Gordon Personal Profile - Inventory (GPP-I)). Men are more physically active than women, yet 51% of all respondents did not meet the minimum recommended amount of sports physical activity. It was confirmed that the higher extent of physical activity reduces the number of health complaints. Keywords: Physical activity (overall, sports, non-sports), health-promoting behavior, health complaints, age.

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“It makes me feel not so alone”: Features of the Choose to Move physical activity intervention that reduce loneliness in older adults

10.21203/rs.3.rs-65551/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Thea Franke ◽

Joanie Sims-Gould ◽

Lindsay Nettlefold ◽

Callista Ottoni ◽

Heather A. McKay

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

At Risk ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Community Based ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Baseline Factors ◽

Meaningful Interaction

Abstract Background: Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), older adults are the least active citizens. Older adults are also at risk for loneliness. Given that lonely individuals are at risk for accelerated loss of physical functioning and health with age, PA interventions that aim to enhance social connectedness may decrease loneliness and increase long-term PA participation. The objectives of this mixed-method study are to: (1) evaluate whether an evidence-based PA intervention (Choose to Move; CTM) influenced PA and loneliness differently among self-identified ‘lonely’ versus ‘not lonely’ older adults and (2) to describe factors within CTM components most likely to promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness.Methods: CTM is a flexible, scalable, community-based health promoting physical activity intervention for older adults. Two community delivery partner organizations delivered 56 CTM programs in 26 urban locations across British Columbia. We collected survey data from participants (n=458 at baseline) at 0 (baseline), 3 (mid-intervention) and 6 (post-intervention) months. We conducted in depth interviews with a subset of older adults to understand how CTM facilitated or impeded their PA and social connectedness.Results: PA increased significantly from baseline to 3 months in lonely and not lonely participants. PA decreased significantly from 3-6 months in lonely participants; however, PA at 6 months remained significantly above baseline levels in both groups. Loneliness decreased significantly from baseline to 3 and 6 months in participants identifying as lonely at baseline. Factors within CTM components that promote social connectedness/reduce loneliness include: Activity coach characteristics/personality traits and approaches; opportunity to share information and experiences and learn from others; engagement with others who share similar/familiar experiences; increased opportunity for meaningful interaction; and accountability.Conclusion: Health promoting interventions that focus on PA and social connectedness through group-based activities can effectively reduce social isolation and loneliness of older adults. Given the ‘epidemic of loneliness’ that plagues many countries currently, these kinds of interventions are timely and important. Research that further delineates mechanisms (e.g., sharing experiences vs. lectures), that modify the effect of an intervention on social connectedness outcomes for older adults engaged in community-based PA programs would be a welcome addition to the literature.

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Promoting physical activity

10.1093/med/9780198788850.003.0012 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Chalkley ◽

Lauren Sherar

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Promotion ◽

Well Being ◽

Physically Active ◽

Role Modelling ◽

School Based ◽

Marginalized Groups ◽

Activity Promotion ◽

The Social ◽

Health And Well Being

Physical activity is beneficial to children’s health and well-being. Evidence suggests that physical activity declines with age from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood, with boys being more active than girls at all ages. Physical activity participation in childhood is affected by the social support and role modelling provided by family, peers, friends, and teachers. Marginalized groups are disadvantaged in terms of access to opportunities to be physically active. From a population perspective, the greatest gains in public health will be achieved by helping those who are most inactive to become moderately active. Physical activity promotion efforts for children have predominantly focused on school-based programmes, but multisectoral approaches are needed with transformative and enlightened public policy regarding many facets of children’s lives such as school curricula, active travel, safe play areas, and enhanced sports opportunities for all.

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