People with Parkinson's disease (PD) may experience declining function, and limited interaction with others with PD. Group exercise provides opportunitites for physical accomplishment and social support, as well as potential social challenges. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine experiences of social comparison, social support, and self-perceptions of 20 people with PD in group exercise. Participants experienced: (1) reticence evolving to inspiration; (2) anxiety relief through camaraderie and breaking taboos; and (3) maintaining athletic identity through participating and helping others. Practical implications include facilitating a safe space and support to alleviate anxiety and sustain participation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motivational regulations and prosocial and antisocial behaviour in Masters sport. Participants were 147 Masters athletes (76 females; 71 males; mean age = 46.18 years) from four team sports (netball, n = 51; soccer, n = 45; basketball, n = 31; and ice hockey, n = 20) who completed questionnaires measuring their motivation regulations and prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Canonical correlation analyses revealed that, in partial support of the first of two hypotheses, autonomous motivation was positively associated with prosocial behaviour towards both teammates and opponents. These results have important implications for understanding the motives for physical activity and provide a greater insight into the antecedents and effects of moral behaviour among mid-life and older adults.

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The majority of weight management research is based on data from randomized controlled studies conducted in clinical settings. As these findings are translated into community-based settings, additional research is needed to understand patterns of lifestyle change and dropout. The purpose of this study was to examine reasons for and consequences associated with dropout (or removal) from an insurance-funded weight management program. Using a mixed methods approach with objectively measured changes in body weight and attendance along with quantitative and qualitative survey data, patterns of intention and behavior change were explored. The results from a sample of 400 respondents support the idea that there are both positive and negative consequences of program participation. Overall, 1 in 5 respondents lost a clinically significant amount of weight during the program (>5% of baseline body weight) and 1 in 3 experienced a positive consequence, while only 6% expressed a negative outcome of participation. Additionally, nearly 90% of all of the consequences that emerged from the data were positive. Attitude change was a major theme, including positive health intentions, perceived success, learning skills, and new appreciation of exercise.