Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Idrottsrörelsen har tilldelats ekonomiska resurser av regeringen för att arbetamed utvecklingsarbete hos målgruppen äldre. Regeringens önskemål de närmaste åren är att skapa bättre förutsättningar för äldre att idrotta i organiseradform och på så sätt bland annat bryta oönskad ensamhet hos målgruppen samtöka den fysiska aktiviteten. I den studie som ligger till grund för denna rapportundersökte vi äldres upplevelser och erfarenheter av föreningsdeltagande inomidrott. I fokus var de värden som fysisk aktivitet och idrott i organiserad formpotentiellt kan ge beträffande välmående, hälsa, meningsfullhet och minskadupplevelse av ensamhet.

Vi använde ett hälsofrämjande perspektiv på föreningsidrotten som arena, vilketinnebär att vi ställde frågor om på vilka sätt föreningsidrott för äldre kan varahälsofrämjande. Studien genomfördes som en tvärsnittsstudie, närmare bestämtsom en enkätundersökning där data av både kvantitativ och kvalitativ art samlades in. Datainsamlingen resulterade i svar från 4 837 personer över 60 år, varavungefär två tredjedelar bestod av män och en tredjedel kvinnor. Den högstaandelen respondenter återfinns i åldern 65–70 år, men det finns ett flertal somär över 90 år. Mer än hälften av respondenterna har högskoleutbildning och bori en stad. Den övervägande majoriteten är födda i Sverige. Över 80 procent avrespondenterna anger en veckomängd av fysisk aktivitet över de rekommendationer som i dag finns för äldre.

Av rapporten framgår att majoriteten av de äldre känner att deltagande i föreningsidrott ger dem energi, är en god vana, bidrar till deras sociala liv samt göratt de känner sig nöjdare med sin kropp. Det förekommer skillnader mellan mänoch kvinnor samt avseende ålder. Ett exempel är att kvinnor anger fler saker sommeningsfulla med deltagande i idrott och att sociala aspekter blir viktigare medstigande ålder. Det är en stor variation i vad de äldre ser fram emot i sin föreningsidrott. Det handlar om sociala aspekter, träning och glädje, men även om attdet är en vana, viljan att få tävla och att de ser fram emot att lära sig nya saker.Även hur deltagarna rekryterats till idrotten skiljer sig åt. Oftast har det skett viavänner, endast cirka fem procent har kommit i kontakt med idrottsföreningengenom externa kontakter. Enligt de äldre är en förening hälsofrämjande om denhar en anpassad verksamhet med ett varierat utbud, hög trivsel i föreningen samtatt det är enkelt att börja och att fortsätta i föreningen.

Rapporten visar dessutom att det redan görs mycket bra för äldre i föreningsidrotten. Men också att mycket viktigt arbete kvarstår i fråga om hur idrott skullekunna organiseras för att nå och tilltala fler, det vill säga för att kunna erbjudaen verksamhet för så många som möjligt, så länge som möjligt. Centralt är dåfyra faser: drop-in, drop-through, drop-over och drop-out. Begreppen beskrivsoch utvecklas som rekommendationer för idrotten att arbeta med för att sänkatrösklarna såväl in i som mellan olika aktiviteter och verksamheter för att främjafortsatt deltagande och förhindra att äldre lämnar verksamheten. 

Background: People aged 60 years and over has doubled since 1980 and WHO predicts that this population will reach 2 billion by the year 2050. However, increases in life spans do not directly lead to increases in health. An aging population poses both challenges and opportunities for society and for individuals. In order to address this, scholars argue for the benefits of being physically active, especially in a group of peers. However, the relation between physical activity and health is often based on an understanding of what causes or prevents illness rather than what promotes health. The purpose of this study is thus to contribute to knowledge about which health resources older adults develop in their participation in organised physical activity initiatives. The study will consider to what extent older adults develop health resources, differences in demographic background and the relation between the health resources and Sense of coherence (SOC).

Methods: This is the first data collection in a longitudinal study. Participants were old adult men and women, 60 years and above. All participants were active in ongoing organised physical activity initiatives in different organisations on a voluntary basis. A survey included demographics, overall health, health resources (McCuaig & Quennerstedt, 2018) and SOC-13. The data collection is ongoing (preliminary n = 200) and ends spring 2020. Statistical analyses were descriptive and included bivariate analyses.

Results: Preliminary results show that the most frequent health resources are social relations, positive energy and embodied identity for both men and women. A positive related correlation of the health resource habit of exercising were observed with a high sense of coherence.

Conclusion: The Salutogenic idea of having access to various health resources linked to a high sense of coherence is in line with the result of a positively related correlation direction and also with the health resource habit of exercising. The results of the study can contribute to knowledge about which health resources older adults develop in their participation in organised physical activity initiatives.

Objectives: Examine health resources that physically active older adults consider meaningful when participating in physical activity initiatives. Health resources are protective factors, including attitudes, knowledge, material factors or social support, that potentially enable people to understand and make sense of their lives or to cope with life stressors.

Design and main outcome measures: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with two questionnaires used to serve as a compiled ‘ageing well’ survey: the Salutogenic Physical Activity Health Resources Questionnaire (SPAHRQ) and the short form of the Sense of Coherence questionnaire, SOC-13.

Results: The study included 372 participants ranging from 60 to 96 years of age (mean age: 74.4 ± 7 years; 60% women). Social relations, positive energy, the habit of exercising and embodied satisfaction were considered important by more than 70% of the participants. Social relations were the most meaningful health resource for both men and women (89%). Women rated positive energy as a significantly more important consequence of their participation in physical activity than men (W 88%, M 72%; p = .001). The three health resources that were considered less important were capability in and about physical activity, self-worth and identity as an exercising person. Those who were more physically active considered social relations, self-worth and the habit of exercising to a higher extent. Participants with higher sense of coherence consider the habit of exercising to a greater extent to be important.

Conclusions: Findings that social relations, positive energy, the habit of exercising and embodied satisfaction were considered important by more than 70% of the participants, can contribute to a wider understanding of health resources that older adults consider meaningful in their participation in organised physical activity initiatives.

Sports participation has the potential to contribute to young people's health. A prerequisite for young people to benefit from sports is that they stay in sports. Studies that consider both personal and contextual factors are needed to unpack the broader health-promoting potential of youth sports. The purpose of the study is to contribute to knowledge about the health-promoting potential of young people's participation in organized sports by exploring youth perspectives on what makes a sports club health-promoting with a focus on health resources that young people consider important for sports club participation. For this cross-sectional study a brief survey was conducted with 15-16 year old students (n = 123) at two schools in Sweden, asking three open-ended questions about their participation in sports. The study used a salutogenic theory-driven analysis in combination with statistical analysis. Five health resources that young people consider important for sports club participation are revealed. On an individual, more 'swimmer'-related level, these are personal well-being and social relations, including relationally meaningful activities, and on an organizational level, relating to the 'river', that sports clubs offer a supportive and well-functioning environment. For sports clubs to be health-promoting settings for young people and thus hopefully to reduce drop-out, we need a more sustainable approach emphasizing drop-in, drop-through, and drop-over as a continuous iterative process. We also need to consider the complexity of sports participation for young people, involving individual, organizational and environmental issues.

Purpose – Alcohol stands in an ambiguous relationship to sports, and there is a common belief that participation in sports prevents alcohol consumption. Although this is not always the case, sports clubs can be important settings for health promoting alcohol policy interventions .The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of implementing alcohol policies in eight football clubs in Sweden and, in particular, how the implementation process is conveyed in the clubs’ alcohol policy projects, the similarities and differences between this case study and Durlak and DuPre's implementation model and the recommendations for successful alcohol policy implementation in relation to the result.

Design/methodology/approach – In total, 15 semi-structured interviews on the subject of sports’ club alcohol policies were conducted with project leaders and board members from eight sports clubs. The interviews were analysed using Durlak and DuPre's model of factors affecting implementation processes.

Findings – The results show that almost all the factors in Durlak and DuPre's model were comprehensively manifested in the football clubs’ alcohol policy projects, although with slightly different significance and emphases.

Practical implications – The results are discussed in relation to recommendations for successful alcohol policy implementation in sports clubs. Recommendations are presented in six areas: an explicit message; fit; internal policy dissemination; alcohol policy as a part of overall policy; support; and actors.

Originality/value – Many sports clubs do an excellent job of implementing alcohol policies successfully and it is imperative to incorporate their “good” practices into research and provide assistance to those whose policies and practice are less developed.

Aims: The aims of this review is to compile and identify key issues in international research about youth sports clubs as health-promoting settings, and then discuss the results of the review in terms of a framework for the youth sports club as a health-promoting setting.

Methods: The framework guiding this review of research is the health-promoting settings approach introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO). The method used is the integrated review. Inclusion criteria were, first, that the studies concerned sports clubs for     young people, not professional clubs; second, that it be a question of voluntary participation in some sort of ongoing organized athletics outside of the regular school curricula; third, that the studies consider issues about youth sports clubs in terms of health-promoting settings as described by WHO. The final sample for the review consists of 44 publications.

Results: The review shows that youth sports clubs have plentiful opportunities to be or become health-promoting settings; however this is not something that happens automatically. To do so, the club needs to include an emphasis on certain important elements in its strategies and daily practices. The youth sports club needs to be a supportive and healthy environment with activities designed for and adapted to the specific age-group or stage of development of the youth.

Conclusions: To become a health-promoting setting, a youth sports club needs to take a comprehensive approach to its activities, aims,  and purposes.