Ageing and Society, 25(2), March 2005, pp.181-195.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Most adults do not achieve the levels of physical activity currently recommended for a healthy lifestyle. Population surveys suggest that there is a linear decline of activity levels with age, yet physical activity has many health benefits for older adults. If these are to be more widely adopted among older people, health policy and promotion require an understanding of the factors that influence decreasing activity with age. This study examined the patterns of physical activity of 699 participants in the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study who were aged 60 years when interviewed in 1991 and followed up four to five years later. It examined the factors that influenced whether or not the subjects achieved currently recommended levels of activity, by applying random effects models with a seasonal adjustment. It was found that higher levels of physical activity associated with a healthier lifestyle, and that socio-economic factors played a minor role in determining the level of physical activity. A substantial amount of physical activity occurred at work but was lost by those who had retired, for while those who were not working were more physically active at home or at leisure than those in work, the majority of the sample did too little physical activity outside work to compensate for the loss of work-based activity. One conclusion is that health promotion initiatives that encourage people to become more physically active should be targeted at those who are about to retire.
Most adults do not achieve the levels of physical activity currently recommended for a healthy lifestyle. Population surveys suggest that there is a linear decline of activity levels with age, yet physical activity has many health benefits for older adults. If these are to be more widely adopted among older people, health policy and promotion require an understanding of the factors that influence decreasing activity with age. This study examined the patterns of physical activity of 699 participants in the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study who were aged 60 years when interviewed in 1991 and followed up four to five years later. It examined the factors that influenced whether or not the subjects achieved currently recommended levels of activity, by applying random effects models with a seasonal adjustment. It was found that higher levels of physical activity associated with a healthier lifestyle, and that socio-economic factors played a minor role in determining the level of physical activity. A substantial amount of physical activity occurred at work but was lost by those who had retired, for while those who were not working were more physically active at home or at leisure than those in work, the majority of the sample did too little physical activity outside work to compensate for the loss of work-based activity. One conclusion is that health promotion initiatives that encourage people to become more physically active should be targeted at those who are about to retire.
Subject terms:
life style, physical exercise, retirement, ageing, health education;
Purpose of the study: Good health and wellbeing in later life are central issues for public health. Retirement presents an opportunity to intervene to improve health and wellbeing, as individuals may adjust associated lifestyle behaviours. However, there is little evidence about how wellbeing is experienced in the context of increasingly diverse retirement transitions. Our objectives were to explore (a) views on health and wellbeing through retirement transitions and (b) acceptability of intervening in this period. Design and methods: Qualitative study involving 48 workers/retirees, aged 53–77 years of diverse socioeconomic status, were recruited from urban and rural areas in North East England. Data were collected iteratively through focus groups (n = 6), individual interviews (n = 13), interviews with couples (n = 4), using the constant comparative method. Analysis was informed by theories of the Third Age and Sen’s capabilities approach. Results: Diverse retirement transitions were shaped by unanticipated events. Central to wellbeing was the “capability” to utilise resources to achieve desirable outcomes. Participants rejected a “later life” identity, associating it with decline, and an uncertain future. Implications: Lifestyle interventions that address challenges within the retirement transition may be acceptable. Inducements to change behaviour based on possible long-term outcomes may be less appealing. Providing assistance to use resources to address personal goals may be central to effective interventions.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Purpose of the study: Good health and wellbeing in later life are central issues for public health. Retirement presents an opportunity to intervene to improve health and wellbeing, as individuals may adjust associated lifestyle behaviours. However, there is little evidence about how wellbeing is experienced in the context of increasingly diverse retirement transitions. Our objectives were to explore (a) views on health and wellbeing through retirement transitions and (b) acceptability of intervening in this period. Design and methods: Qualitative study involving 48 workers/retirees, aged 53–77 years of diverse socioeconomic status, were recruited from urban and rural areas in North East England. Data were collected iteratively through focus groups (n = 6), individual interviews (n = 13), interviews with couples (n = 4), using the constant comparative method. Analysis was informed by theories of the Third Age and Sen’s capabilities approach. Results: Diverse retirement transitions were shaped by unanticipated events. Central to wellbeing was the “capability” to utilise resources to achieve desirable outcomes. Participants rejected a “later life” identity, associating it with decline, and an uncertain future. Implications: Lifestyle interventions that address challenges within the retirement transition may be acceptable. Inducements to change behaviour based on possible long-term outcomes may be less appealing. Providing assistance to use resources to address personal goals may be central to effective interventions.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
older people, retirement, strengths-based approach, wellbeing, intervention, prevention, life style;
Ageing and Society, 31(1), January 2011, pp.146-172.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
This study highlighted the relationship between old age, retirement and social inequalities, as represented by participation in leisure activities. It considered whether old age, and particularly the transition into retirement, have an effect on participation in three selected activities (having a hobby, being a member of a club, and an index of participation in cultural events), and also whether the social inequalities underlying these activities change with older age and retirement. The empirical investigation uses data from the first two waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Findings suggested that different socio-economic backgrounds of different age groups explained a considerable part of the observed age differences in these activities. Analyses showed that respondents tended to continue their activities regardless of changes in work and age, with two exceptions, namely that retirement was positively related to having a hobby, and those who stopped working because of an illness experienced a significant decline in all three of the examined categories of activity.
This study highlighted the relationship between old age, retirement and social inequalities, as represented by participation in leisure activities. It considered whether old age, and particularly the transition into retirement, have an effect on participation in three selected activities (having a hobby, being a member of a club, and an index of participation in cultural events), and also whether the social inequalities underlying these activities change with older age and retirement. The empirical investigation uses data from the first two waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Findings suggested that different socio-economic backgrounds of different age groups explained a considerable part of the observed age differences in these activities. Analyses showed that respondents tended to continue their activities regardless of changes in work and age, with two exceptions, namely that retirement was positively related to having a hobby, and those who stopped working because of an illness experienced a significant decline in all three of the examined categories of activity.
Subject terms:
leisure activities, life style, older people, quality of life, retirement, ageing;
Ageing and Society, 30(6), August 2010, pp.965-985.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Residential mobile homes, usually referred to as park homes, are a small, niche sector of the United Kingdom housing market. Whilst the sector has long provided a low-cost housing option for people of all ages, in recent years it has increasingly aligned itself as a lifestyle choice for older people. This paper reports a study of residents of park-homes that focused on their motivations for choosing this form of accommodation, and on their views about and experiences of park-home living. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 park-home residents in sites in either private ownership, local authority or housing association ownership in various regions of England. Most respondents reported very positive experiences of park-home living and shared similar views about the benefits, but there were a few dissenting voices. Two conceptual frameworks are used to help understand the experiences of the respondents. ‘Elective belonging’ offers a way of contextualising the narratives that people articulate about their lifestyle choices and that affirm their sense of biographical continuity even having moved to new locations. This notion also helps frame some of the tensions that arise among the residents. The second framework, ‘biographical disruption’, is a way of framing the stories that the respondents told when their lives had not followed the anticipated trajectory and by which they coped and made sense of the circumstances which soured their chosen lifestyle.
Residential mobile homes, usually referred to as park homes, are a small, niche sector of the United Kingdom housing market. Whilst the sector has long provided a low-cost housing option for people of all ages, in recent years it has increasingly aligned itself as a lifestyle choice for older people. This paper reports a study of residents of park-homes that focused on their motivations for choosing this form of accommodation, and on their views about and experiences of park-home living. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 park-home residents in sites in either private ownership, local authority or housing association ownership in various regions of England. Most respondents reported very positive experiences of park-home living and shared similar views about the benefits, but there were a few dissenting voices. Two conceptual frameworks are used to help understand the experiences of the respondents. ‘Elective belonging’ offers a way of contextualising the narratives that people articulate about their lifestyle choices and that affirm their sense of biographical continuity even having moved to new locations. This notion also helps frame some of the tensions that arise among the residents. The second framework, ‘biographical disruption’, is a way of framing the stories that the respondents told when their lives had not followed the anticipated trajectory and by which they coped and made sense of the circumstances which soured their chosen lifestyle.
Subject terms:
housing, life style, older people, retirement, social inclusion, communities;
Aging and Mental Health, 8(2), March 2004, pp.172-183.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
... and Charity domains were found to be important in this age-range, but other types of activity were less consistently associated with affective well-being or life satisfaction. Differences were observed in the frequency of some activity types between men and women and between people in employment, unemployment and retirement. However, associations between activity and psychological well-being did not vary
Affective well-being and life satisfaction between the ages of 50 and 74 were investigated as a function of the frequency with which individuals undertook six types of activity, after control for potential confounding variables. Overall activity level (across all types) was significantly positively associated with both outcome variables. Activities in the Family and Social and in the Church and Charity domains were found to be important in this age-range, but other types of activity were less consistently associated with affective well-being or life satisfaction. Differences were observed in the frequency of some activity types between men and women and between people in employment, unemployment and retirement. However, associations between activity and psychological well-being did not vary between men and women, and differences in correlations with well-being between non-employed and employed individuals were significant only for aggregate indicators.
Subject terms:
leisure activities, life style, older people, quality of life, retirement, employment, gender;
Journal of Social Policy and Social Work, 1, March 1997, pp.41-50.
Publisher:
Japan College of Social Work
In Japan, the older person is supposed to be given assistance by others but is not viewed as a person who actively participates in social activities. This article analyses the activities of older people in Japan by examining their volunteering activities.
In Japan, the older person is supposed to be given assistance by others but is not viewed as a person who actively participates in social activities. This article analyses the activities of older people in Japan by examining their volunteering activities.
Subject terms:
leisure activities, life style, older people, retirement, volunteers, carers, communities;
Identifies the changing nature of ageing as both central to, and problematical for, modern life. The rise and subsequent crisis of welfare state systems have invested old age with a key role in redefining the position of citizens and the role of governments. Ageing has ceased to have any stable meaning in relation to biology, policy or experience. Instead it has become an open phenomenon of flux rather than of closure. The text focuses on these changes and examines in particular the significance of lifestyle cultures associated with the third age. Each chapter examines a different aspect of ageing and relates it to the core themes of self and identity, citizenship, and the body.
Identifies the changing nature of ageing as both central to, and problematical for, modern life. The rise and subsequent crisis of welfare state systems have invested old age with a key role in redefining the position of citizens and the role of governments. Ageing has ceased to have any stable meaning in relation to biology, policy or experience. Instead it has become an open phenomenon of flux rather than of closure. The text focuses on these changes and examines in particular the significance of lifestyle cultures associated with the third age. Each chapter examines a different aspect of ageing and relates it to the core themes of self and identity, citizenship, and the body.
Subject terms:
life style, older people, retirement, social policy, ageing, citizenship;
This study examined engagement in leisure activities among older adults, specifically focusing on how life transition factors in later life, including retirement and marital status, are associated with leisure activity engagement using a national sample of older American men and women. Method: multiple regression analyses with a sample of 5,405 individuals (2,318 men; 3,087 women) from the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey, a supplementary sample of the Health and Retirement Study. Variables analysed: activity engagement in each of four domains of leisure activities: mental, physical, social and religious. Retirement status was categorised into three groups: working (referent), completely retired and partly retired. Marital status was categorised into four groups: married (referent), divorced or separated, widowed and never married. Findings: there was an overall trend of a positive relationship between retirement and leisure activity engagement, which suggests that retirement provides a chance for older adults to participate in leisure activities after withdrawal from the labour force. The overall trend of a negative relationship between non-married status and leisure activity
(Edited publisher abstract)
This study examined engagement in leisure activities among older adults, specifically focusing on how life transition factors in later life, including retirement and marital status, are associated with leisure activity engagement using a national sample of older American men and women. Method: multiple regression analyses with a sample of 5,405 individuals (2,318 men; 3,087 women) from the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey, a supplementary sample of the Health and Retirement Study. Variables analysed: activity engagement in each of four domains of leisure activities: mental, physical, social and religious. Retirement status was categorised into three groups: working (referent), completely retired and partly retired. Marital status was categorised into four groups: married (referent), divorced or separated, widowed and never married. Findings: there was an overall trend of a positive relationship between retirement and leisure activity engagement, which suggests that retirement provides a chance for older adults to participate in leisure activities after withdrawal from the labour force. The overall trend of a negative relationship between non-married status and leisure activity engagement suggests that the loss or absence of a spouse may serve as a barrier to participate in leisure activities. Nevertheless, variation among retirees and non-married individuals suggests future studies should compare completely and partly retired individuals or those who are widowed, divorced or separated, or never married to elucidate distinguishable leisure activity profiles.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
life style, older people, surveys, leisure activities, participation, retirement, life events, ageing;
This paper draws on narrative interviews with vulnerable older British people in Spain, focusing on those who have encountered a severe decline in health, are frail and in need of care. It looks at the formal and informal networks and agencies that support these individuals, in particular the resources and strategies they employ to access care. Drawing on a framework of care provision developed by Glucksmann and Lyons, four broad modes of provision for old age care used by older British people in Spain are identified: state/public, family/community, voluntary/not-for-profit and market/for-profit. The paper argues that there are language, cultural, spatial and financial barriers when accessing care in Spain as an older British citizen. It is concluded that there are some frail, vulnerable people that may fall through a support gap, whereby they are no longer the responsibility of UK welfare services, yet not fully recognised in their new country of residence, and asks if more should be done to support this population.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This paper draws on narrative interviews with vulnerable older British people in Spain, focusing on those who have encountered a severe decline in health, are frail and in need of care. It looks at the formal and informal networks and agencies that support these individuals, in particular the resources and strategies they employ to access care. Drawing on a framework of care provision developed by Glucksmann and Lyons, four broad modes of provision for old age care used by older British people in Spain are identified: state/public, family/community, voluntary/not-for-profit and market/for-profit. The paper argues that there are language, cultural, spatial and financial barriers when accessing care in Spain as an older British citizen. It is concluded that there are some frail, vulnerable people that may fall through a support gap, whereby they are no longer the responsibility of UK welfare services, yet not fully recognised in their new country of residence, and asks if more should be done to support this population.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
older people, retirement, migration, life style, health care, social care, access to services, residential care, unmet need;
... on the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), with detailed retrospective information on individual life courses collected among 10,272 retired men and women in 13 European countries (2008–2009). The authors' assumption is that those who have spent their childhood in deprived circumstances may also have had more labour market disadvantage with negative consequences for quality of life
(Edited publisher abstract)
There is robust evidence that childhood circumstances are related to quality of life in older ages, but the role of possible intermediate factors is less explored. In this paper, the authors examine to what extent associations between deprived childhood circumstances and quality of life at older ages are due to experienced labour market disadvantage during adulthood. Analyses are based on the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), with detailed retrospective information on individual life courses collected among 10,272 retired men and women in 13 European countries (2008–2009). The authors' assumption is that those who have spent their childhood in deprived circumstances may also have had more labour market disadvantage with negative consequences for quality of life beyond working life. Results demonstrate that advantaged circumstances during childhood are associated with lower levels of labour market disadvantage and higher quality of life in older ages. Furthermore, results of multivariate analyses support the idea that part of the association between childhood circumstances and later quality of life is explained by labour market disadvantage during adulthood.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
labour market, quality of life, poverty, life events, life style, retirement, older people, employment, equal opportunities;