‘You're never too old’: beliefs about physical activity and playing sport in later life

Abstract

It was evident from interviews with  men and women over  years of age that the experiences derived from being physically active and playing sport in later life are expansive, dynamic and completely imbued with multiple interpretations. Furthermore, their beliefs support the notion that the physically active body should be considered more than a physical object, as it represents a conscious, feeling, thinking and reflective self. The findings signify much is to be gained by regularly partaking in deliberate physical activity during later life although this is not always as easy as it sounds. At a personal level, changes in functional capacity and dealing with the sometimes ailing body can serve as a deterrent. From a broader perspective, the stigma associated with being older also poses a significant physical, sociological and psychological challenge, particularly during the initial phases. In conclusion, the study discusses why change must occur at a personal and societal level before a greater proportion of the older population become more physically active.

Psychosocial wellbeing in active older adults: A systematic review of qualitative literature

“…Another noted issue, particularly with single author papers, was the absence of cross-checking which is commonly used to improve a study's reliability (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi, 2006b;Dionigi, Horton, & Baker, 2013b;Dionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001). It must also be acknowledged that the consideration of reflexivity was absent from five of these studies, as PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLBEING 15 with the exercise group this means that the degree of researcher influence cannot be identified.…”

“…Table 1 presents an overview of the 13 studies included in this review and summarises aims, data collection, methods and settings, sample characteristics, definitions of exercise and competitive sport, and notable limitations or quality issues. The earliest study that was reviewed was conducted in 2001 (Grant, 2001) which demonstrates that qualitative research in this field has only been adopted recently. The most recent studies were published in 2013 (Dionigi, Horton & Baker, 2013a, 2013b.…”

“…With the exception of the single case study of a competitive runner (Roper, Molnar, & Wrisberg, 2003), samples in all other studies were heterogeneous in terms of sport representation (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi, 2006b;Dionigi, Horton, & Baker, 2013a, 2013bDionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001); participants competed in swimming, squash, track and field, orienteering, weightlifting, tennis, badminton, cycling, triathlon, croquet, bowls, athletics, golf, running, indoor rowing, netball, baseball, ice hockey, archery, canoeing, soccer, softball, field hockey, basketball, touch football, sport aerobics and race walking. All studies captured data through semi-structured or in depth interviews; five of those studies also collected data via observation or focus groups as a form of triangulation to improve the study's reliability (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001;Roper, Molnar, & Wrisberg, 2003). Findings across these studies produced four major themes: Fear of loss, fighting ageing, resisting and reproducing stereotypes, and athletic identity (see Table 3).…”

“…By selfidentifying as competitive athletes, participants were simultaneously dissociating with noncompetitive or nonactive people whom they saw as representative of the negative stereotypes that they wished to avoid (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi, 2006b). Issues of reliability and validity arose in several studies; two studies within this group did not provide transparency of their data analysis (Dionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001), which made it difficult to assess the rigour of their methods. Another noted issue, particularly with single author papers, was the absence of cross-checking which is commonly used to improve a study's reliability (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi, 2006b;Dionigi, Horton, & Baker, 2013b;Dionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001).…”

“…Consideration was also given to gender differences in study design. Dionigi, Horton, and Bellamy's (2011) sample was exclusively female, whilst Whaley and Ebbeck (2002) also had a higher female sample; however in reviewing previous research there was no indication that results of psychosocial factors varied significantly according to gender.The second group contained eight studies exploring participants' experiences within the context of competitive sport (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi, 2006b;Dionigi, Horton, & Baker, 2013a, 2013bDionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001;Roper, Molnar, & Wrisberg, 2003). With the exception of the single case study of a competitive runner (Roper, Molnar, & Wrisberg, 2003), samples in all other studies were heterogeneous in terms of sport representation (Dionigi, 2002a(Dionigi, , 2002bDionigi, 2006b;Dionigi, Horton, & Baker, 2013a, 2013bDionigi & O'Flynn, 2007;Grant, 2001); participants competed in swimming, squash, track and field, orienteering, weightlifting, tennis, badminton, cycling, triathlon, croquet, bowls, athletics, golf, running, indoor rowing, netball, baseball, ice hockey, archery, canoeing, soccer, softball, field hockey, basketball, touch football, sport aerobics and race walking.…”