Understanding and informing the benefits of sport and physical activity-based programmes for older women in the UK and Japan

During 1946-1964 there was a significant increase in the birthrate in many countries largely attributed to a positive sense of hope and possibility following the Second World War. Those born in this period came to be known as the "baby boom generation," reaching retirement age in the early twenty-first century. Japan and the UK are two of the nations most affected by this dramatic demographic shift to an ageing population: Japan has the highest life expectancy of any country in the world, while European countries have the highest percentage of older people in the world and the UK's life expectancy is only slightly lower than that of Japan. The proposed research seeks to share and improve understanding of the benefits and constraints on engagement in physical activity and sports for ageing populations, giving particular attention to the experiences of older women, including those living with dementia, who have been relatively neglected in gerontological research.

In both countries, attempts to support the ageing population through social care programmes have been deemed unsustainable and so there has been a turn to neoliberalism with expectations that older people will take care of themselves in later life and not become a burden on the state. One way of doing this is through the promotion of physical activity and sports as a way of maintaining health and functional ability in later life. However, research findings indicate that the majority of older people are insufficiently active to benefit their health, and women are less active than men.

The first aim of the proposed research network is to share knowledge about the barriers and benefits of physical activity, giving specific attention to older women in both countries. A particular focus of the physical activity recommendations is an emphasis on the social benefits of such programmes for women who are often isolated in later life. There is convincing evidence that women are more likely to participate in physical activity programmes that emphasize social interaction; and that active social involvement contributes to health, longevity, and well-being. The research will develop from a pilot survey of members of Curves (a global women-only fitness provider) which has been completed in Japan, analysing the preliminary findings to inform a wider study in Japan and the UK focusing on the ways in which membership of a women-only fitness organisation can provide older women with social benefits such as enhanced life satisfaction and subjective well-being, and reduced loneliness in later life.

The second aim of the proposed research network is to develop understanding regarding the use of sports and physical activity to help tackle problems such as poor mental health and dementia. In particular, the research is informed by a small, but growing, number of projects that encourage reminiscence by drawing on sporting memories as a focus for supporting older persons living with dementia. These engage older people in social activities that focus on recalling memories of watching or playing sports. Research into the effectiveness of sports-based projects to support those with dementia is in early stages, but preliminary evidence suggests that programmes that trigger memories have a positive effect. The proposed network has support in principle of Watford Football Club Trust (an English Premier League club which is in the process of setting up a football reminiscence project for people living with dementia), and the Japan Sport Club Association (which will sponsor reminiscence activities related to the past successes of Japanese athletes). The research will take the form of preliminary interviews with providers of established reminiscence projects and dementia charities working with Watford and the Japan Sport Club Association to inform the development of sporting reminiscence projects for older women living with dementia in both countries.

The UK and Japan have both adopted physical activity guidelines for people over 65, including the number of steps taken daily and regular exercise. The 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan showed that the majority of Japanese adults perform inadequate amounts of exercise. Those over 60 were averaging less than half the recommended number of steps per day, and fewer than 50 percent of those in this age group were categorized as regular exercisers, with significantly lower figures for women than men. Similarly in the UK, a 2015 report by the British Heart Foundation found that just over half of people aged 65-74 in England were meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines, but that this declined to 36 percent of men and 18 percent of women over age 75. The figures are also significantly lower in other parts of the United Kingdom. The outcomes of the planned activities will lead to improved understanding of the effective promotion of physical activity and sports as a way of maintaining health and functional ability in later life. Specifically in Japan, the project will address the understanding that sports are seen as having "supportive qualities for the three Ks: kenko (health), keizai (economics), and kokoro no hari (determination, or spirit).

The network will undertake collaborative research into the constraints, opportunities and experiences of older women in relation to sporting physical activity, bearing in mind the evidence that women generally outlive their male peers but are often marginalized and less likely to gain the benefits of physical activity. This data will be collected from members of Curves (a global network of women-only fitness centres) - the Japanese co-investigator has an established link with this organization and has commenced a pilot study with Japanese members, and it is intended to build from this for a wider study in Japan and the UK. These preliminary findings will inform a more extensive research grant application to develop evidence-based physical activity projects for older women in the UK and Japan. The outcomes of this survey will be fed-back to Curves, and more widely to fitness providers, through a published report and media releases, to inform more appropriate provision of physical activity for older women in both countries.

The network will further contribute to an enhanced understanding of the effectiveness of sports-based projects to support those living with dementia, with a view to sharing knowledge and expertise to inform a future research grant application to establish an evidence-based sporting reminiscence project in both countries. As the research team will be working with Watford Football Club Trust and the Japan Sport Club Association during the early stages of setting up their reminiscence projects, this will enable the preliminary findings of the research network to inform the final delivery of the reminiscence project in each location.