School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.
Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technological University of the Shannon, Athlone, Ireland.
Health Promot Int. 2023 Jun 1;38(3). doi: 10.1093/heapro/daad027.
The study was undertaken to explore the experiences of older adults and service providers in a settings-based health promotion initiative in a football club. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 older adults attending an 'Extra Time Hub' (ETH) and two staff delivering the initiative. Our reflexive thematic analysis generated six themes. Findings revealed the brand of the sports club attracted some to join the ETH, but through partnerships with local agencies, the initiative was also successful in widening participation beyond older adults with an interest in football. Participants perceived that the ETH was beneficial for their mental health, helped them develop social connections, and promoted positive physical activity experiences. Moreover, the variety of pleasures derived from participation were also discussed. Our findings also illustrate the central role of staff in older adults' experiences of this form of health promotion. Overall, this study contributes to understandings of settings-based health promotion activities in sports clubs, and also demonstrates the potential for sports clubs to widen engagement with the local community through health promotion for older adults.
本研究旨在探索老年人和服务提供者在足球俱乐部环境促进健康倡议中的体验。我们对 10 名参加“额外时间中心”（ETH）的老年人和两名提供该倡议的工作人员进行了半结构化访谈。我们的反思性主题分析产生了六个主题。研究结果表明，体育俱乐部的品牌吸引了一些人加入 ETH，但通过与当地机构的合作，该倡议也成功地扩大了参与范围，不仅包括对足球感兴趣的老年人。参与者认为 ETH 有益于他们的心理健康，帮助他们发展社交关系，并促进积极的体育活动体验。此外，还讨论了从参与中获得的各种乐趣。我们的研究结果还说明了工作人员在老年人参与这种形式的健康促进中的核心作用。总的来说，本研究有助于理解体育俱乐部中基于环境的健康促进活动，也展示了体育俱乐部通过为老年人提供健康促进来扩大与当地社区联系的潜力。
