Community Sport and the Politics of Aging: Co-design and Partnership Approaches to Understanding the Embodied Experiences of Low-Income Older People

Abstract

The promotion of physical activity for older people is dominated by biomedically informed polices emphasizing the prescription of exercise as medicine and a universal approach to the promotion of active aging in later life. Yet, more recent research recognizes that being physically active in later life is complex and contested, shaped by the intersections of biological, psychological, and sociological experiences, and requires differentiated responses that address this complexity. There is a disconnect between research, policy, and the physical activity experiences of older people which leads to over-generalized policy and practice in the promotion and delivery of community sport to older people. This paper presents findings from a complex community sport project employing a coproduction framework with low income older age people. Participatory community approaches including focus group discussions, and extended observations and informal conversations throughout the project develop understanding of the complexities of aging and community sport engagement among older people with limited income. Three themes are identified and discussed: (1) lived experience, aging bodies, and the changing dynamics of involvement in sport and exercise in the life course, (2) embodying aging-moving beyond practical barriers for understanding aging, lived experience and being physically active, and (3) corporeal pleasures of older sporting bodies. The paper concludes that there is a need to explore the significance of locally specific public knowledge from older people which directly addresses the complexity and inequalities of individuals' everyday lives in their communities; lived experiences likely to impact on preferences for, engagement in, and enjoyment of physical activity.

Narrative review – Barriers and facilitators to promotion of physical activity in primary care

“…Three of the most frequently identified barriers to taking up PA that are faced by individual patients are the perceived nature of their underlying health condition, 13,26,53,68–79 patients’ knowledge and understanding of the benefits of PA 13,18,22,26,30,42,53,68–72,76,77,80–86 and patients’ time/capacity 13,18,22,26,30,42,53,68,70–72,75,76,81,87–89 …”

“…Although the majority of the included studies were within general populations, several looked at specific populations including people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 13,78,81 the elderly 26,42,69,74,80,88 and patients with chronic pain and osteoarthritis 75,76 . Patients with pre‐existing conditions understandably cite underlying health concerns more frequently as a barrier to participation than those without.…”

An occupational justice perspective on playing football and living with mental distress

“…Contemporary health and sport policy often promotes participation in sport and physical occupations as a universal panacea and solution to national inactivity problems (British Medical Association, 2014; Department for Culture Media and Sport, 2015; Hagell, 2016;Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2012a, 2012bSport England, 2016). However, literature has challenged these prevailing governance trends, which tend to be both responsibilising and individualistic (Mansfield et al, 2019;Smith & Perrier, 2014;Williams, 2017;Williams & Gibson, 2018) and construct participation in sport, exercise, and physical occupations within a biomedical frame; 'exercise as medicine'. This tendency fails to account for the complex social demands and risks participation entails (Pullen & Malcolm, 2018;Williams et al, 2018).…”

The Family Is My Priority: How Motherhood Frames Participation in Physical Activity in a Group of Mothers Living in a Low Socioeconomic Status Area

“…Research with low SES groups has indicated that lack of time plays a role [19][20][21][22] together with a lack of enjoyment of physical activity [20], poor health [15], and being overweight or obese [23]. People who are inactive report that negative emotions driven by poor past experiences or fear, worry, and anxiety about their physical competency are barriers to physical activity [24], and people who are overweight or obese experience stigma trying to exercise leading to exercise avoidance [19,[25][26][27][28]. Thus, emotions play an important part and may influence whether inactive or overweight individuals undertake and maintain physical activity.…”