MRC Epidemiology Unit and UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter, Truro, UK.
Health Expect. 2018 Oct;21(5):919-926. doi: 10.1111/hex.12686. Epub 2018 Apr 6.
Physical activity levels decline in later life despite the known benefits for physical, cognitive and mental health. Older people find it difficult to meet activity targets; therefore, more realistic and meaningful strategies are needed. We aimed to develop a typology of older people's motivations and lifelong habits of being active as a starting point to co-designing active ageing strategies in a workshop.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 participants aged 65-80 in Norfolk, UK, and participant observation with 17 of them. At a workshop with 13 study participants and 6 government and civil society representatives, we invited reflections on preliminary findings.
Three types were developed. "Exercisers" had engaged in sport and exercise throughout their life but experienced physical ill health and limitations as barriers. "Out-and-about-ers" pursued social engagement and a variety of interests but experienced biographical disruption through retirement and loss of companions that limited social activities in later life. A final type characterized people who preferred "sedentary/solitary" activities. A workshop elicited suggestions for new strategies relating to these types that addressed people's specific motivations. An example was to combine social engagement and physical activity in "dog-parent"-walking schemes to link people through shared responsibility for a dog.
We suggest that these potential strategies map more closely onto the everyday life-worlds in which public health might seek to intervene than common physical activity interventions. Most notably, this means a more differentiated understanding of barriers, and acknowledging that intellectual, social or solitary pursuits can include incidental physical activity.
尽管人们知道体育活动对身心健康有诸多益处，但随着年龄的增长，人们的体育活动水平还是会下降。老年人很难达到活动目标，因此需要制定更现实、更有意义的策略。我们的目的是为老年人的活动动机和终身习惯建立一种类型学，以此为起点，在研讨会上共同设计积极老龄化策略。
我们在英国诺福克对 27 名 65-80 岁的参与者进行了半结构化访谈，并对其中 17 人进行了参与者观察。在有 13 名研究参与者和 6 名政府和民间社会代表参加的研讨会上，我们邀请他们对初步研究结果进行反思。
我们提出了三种类型。“锻炼者”一生都从事运动和锻炼，但由于身体不健康和限制，他们会遇到障碍。“户外活动者”追求社会参与和各种兴趣，但退休和失去伴侣会导致传记中断，从而限制晚年的社会活动。最后一种类型的人则喜欢“久坐/独处”的活动。研讨会提出了一些新策略的建议，这些策略与这些类型有关，涉及到人们的具体动机。一个例子是在“遛狗父母”计划中结合社会参与和体育活动，通过共同承担养狗的责任来联系人们。
我们认为，与常见的体育活动干预措施相比，这些潜在策略更能贴近公共卫生可能试图干预的日常生活世界。最值得注意的是，这意味着对障碍有更具差异化的理解，并承认智力、社会或独处活动可能包括偶然的体育活动。
