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，许多国家的出生率显著上升，这主要归功于第二次世界大战后人们对希望和可能性产生了积极的感觉。这一时期出生的人被称为“婴儿潮一代”，在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龄人口参与体育活动和运动的益处和制约因素的了解，特别关注老年妇女的经历，包括老年痴呆症患者的经历，老年学研究相对忽视了老年妇女。通过社会护理方案支持老龄人口的尝试被认为是不可持续的，因此转向了新自由主义，期望老年人会照顾他们。在以后的生活中，不要成为国家的负担。这样做的一种方式是通过促进体育活动和运动，作为在晚年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量不足，不利于他们的健康，妇女的活动量低于男子，拟议的研究网络的第一个目标是分享关于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方案对那些在晚年生活中往往与世隔绝的妇女的社会效益。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方案;积极的社会参与有助于健康、长寿和福祉。这项研究将从一个试点调查的成员曲线（一家全球女性专用健身机构），分析初步结果，为日本和英国更广泛的研究提供信息，重点是女性专用健身机构的会员资格如何为老年女性提供社会福利，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利用体育和身体活动来帮助解决精神健康不良和痴呆症等问题的理解。特别是，这项研究是由一个小，但越来越多的项目，鼓励回忆，通过借鉴体育记忆作为一个重点，支持老年痴呆症患者。这些活动使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。对支持痴呆症患者的体育项目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的影响。拟议的网络原则上得到沃特福德足球俱乐部信托基金（一家英超俱乐部，正在为痴呆症患者设立一个足球回忆项目）和日本体育俱乐部协会（将赞助与日本运动员过去成功有关的回忆活动）的支持。该研究将采取与已建立的回忆项目提供者以及与沃特福德和日本体育俱乐部协会合作的痴呆症慈善机构进行初步访谈的形式，以了解两国老年痴呆症患者运动回忆项目的发展情况。

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.