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

在1946-1964年期间，许多国家的出生率有了显著的增长，这主要归功于第二次世界大战后对希望和可能性的积极认识。这一时期出生的人被称为“婴儿潮一代”，他们在21世纪初达到退休年龄。日本和英国是受人口老龄化影响最大的两个国家：日本的预期寿命是世界上最高的，而欧洲国家的老年人比例是世界上最高的，英国的预期寿命仅略低于日本。拟议的研究旨在分享和增进对老年人参加体育活动的好处和限制的理解，特别关注老年妇女的经历，包括那些在老年学研究中相对被忽视的痴呆症患者。在这两个国家，通过社会关怀计划来支持老龄化人口的尝试被认为是不可持续的，因此出现了一种转向新自由主义的趋势，人们期望老年人在晚年能照顾好自己，而不是成为国家的负担。一种方法是通过促进身体活动和体育运动，作为在以后生活中保持健康和功能能力的一种方式。然而，研究结果表明，大多数老年人的活动不足，不利于他们的健康，妇女的活动比男子少。拟议的研究网络的第一个目标是分享有关体育活动的障碍和益处的知识，特别关注两国的老年妇女。体育活动建议的一个特别重点是强调这类规划对晚年往往被孤立的妇女的社会效益。有令人信服的证据表明，妇女更有可能参加强调社会互动的体育活动项目；积极的社会参与有助于健康、长寿和幸福。这项研究将从对曲线（全球女性专用健身提供商）成员的试点调查发展而来，该调查已在日本完成，分析初步结果，为日本和英国更广泛的研究提供信息，重点研究女性专用健身组织的会员如何为老年妇女提供社会福利，如提高生活满意度和主观幸福感，并减少晚年的孤独感。拟议的研究网络的第二个目标是发展对运动和体育活动的理解，以帮助解决诸如精神健康状况不佳和痴呆症等问题。特别值得一提的是，这项研究是由一个小而不断增长的项目提供的，这些项目通过将体育记忆作为支持老年痴呆症患者的重点来鼓励回忆。这些活动让老年人参与社会活动，重点是回忆观看或参加体育运动的记忆。对以体育为基础的项目对痴呆症患者的有效性的研究尚处于早期阶段，但初步证据表明，触发记忆的项目具有积极作用。该网络原则上得到了沃特福德足球俱乐部信托基金（正在为痴呆症患者设立足球回忆项目的英超俱乐部）和日本体育俱乐部协会（将赞助与日本运动员过去的成功有关的回忆活动）的支持。这项研究将采取初步访谈的形式，与沃特福德和日本体育俱乐部协会合作，建立记忆项目和痴呆症慈善机构的提供者，为两国老年痴呆症妇女的运动记忆项目的发展提供信息。

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.