‘It brings the lads together’: a critical exploration of older men’s experiences of a weight management programme delivered through a Healthy Stadia project

Abstract

'It brings the lads together': A critical exploration of older men's experiences of a weight management programme delivered through a Healthy Stadia project. AbstractOlder men whose weight is considered unhealthy may experience particular barriers that can restrict their adoption of health improvement interventions. Despite promising findings recommending the use of sports settings to facilitate health promotion with men, little evidence has addressed older men's health needs for, or experiences of, these settings. Using a qualitative methodology, this study explored the experiences of 14 ageing men attending a football-led weight management programme delivered at a community sports setting. The thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews elucidates important insights regarding the provision of sports-led health improvement interventions for this population. Men especially valued the opportunity to play sports and do physical activity in an environment that promotes 'inclusive' competition and caring interpersonal relationships. Implicit in the findings is the key role of practitioners in promoting social engagement. We conclude the paper with key practical implications of this research.

Becoming a Narrative Researcher: A Story of Moments, Realisations and Turnarounds

“…How has this change occured within the context of Lorena's doctoral studies? (LOZANO-SUFRATEGUI, 2015 1 ; LOZANO-SUFRATEGUI et al, 2016a;2016b). Our exploration adds to existing accounts of the personal-professional transformations described by other researchers in the sport and physical activity area (CARLESS; DOUGLAS, 2010;CARLESS, 2015;SMITH, 2010).…”

‘I don't want to be, feel old’: older Canadian men's perceptions and experiences of physical activity

“…For example, older women have described a sense of belonging that results from their involvement in structured exercise groups and sporting pursuits (Bidonde, Goodwin and Drinkwater 2009;Heuser 2005;Kluge et al 2012). Similar studies with older men have found that they emphasise the importance of the friendships with other men that arise from their participation in exercise and sporting groups (Grant 2012;Lozano-Sufrategui et al 2017;Minello and Nixon 2017).…”

“…Additionally, older adults perceive exercise to be essential for the maintenance of their independence, health and wellbeing (Bidonde, Goodwin and Drinkwater 2009;Kluge et al 2012;Grant 2012;Lozano-Sufrategui et al 2017;Liechty et al 2014;Minello and Nixon 2017;Sims-Gould et al 2010). Some studies point to specific health and functional benefits that participants perceive result from their activities, such as improved balance, strength and flexibility (Bidonde, Goodwin and Drinkwater 2009).…”

“…Older adults have also reported psychological health benefits from physical activity engagement, including the ability to cope better with stress (Bidonde, Goodwin and Drinkwater 2009;Minello and Nixon 2017), an improved sense of self (Kluge et al 2012) and enhanced quality of life (Grant 2012). Others have found that older adults consider physical activity to be an important tool for combating the general physical decline they associate with being old (Hudson, Day and Oliver 2015;Lozano-Sufrategui et al 2017). For example, the older men in the study by Liechty et al (2014) reported that their primary motivation for engaging in leisure-time physical activity was to prevent future, additional health losses.…”

“…To date, the bulk of this research has drawn upon mixed-gender samples (Bundon, Hurd Clarke and Miller 2011;Orr and Phoenix 2015;Phoenix and Orr 2014) or focused exclusively on older women (Bidonde, Goodwin and Drinkwater 2009;Heuser 2005;Kluge 2002;Kluge et al 2012;O'Brien Cousins 2000;Sims-Gould et al 2010;Tulle 2017). The relatively few studies that have considered older men's physical activity experiences have either looked at sport (Lozano-Sufrategui et al 2017;Minello and Nixon 2017), structured exercise programmes (Grant 2012) or leisure-time physical activity (Liechty et al 2014) in isolation. Most of the participants in these studies have been between the ages of 50 and 75, although two studies have included men up to the age of 82 (Grant 2012;Minello and Nixon 2017).…”