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Children with developmental disabilities (DDs) experience barriers to physical activity (PA) participation. Greater contextual information regarding their PA behaviors is needed for effective PA promotion. We investigated the feasibility of using activity trackers and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices with follow-up interviews to explore PA behaviors in children with DDs. Fifteen children with DDs (aged 10 ± 2 years) wore an activity tracker and GPS device for 7 days. Data were time-aligned to measure PA and identify PA locations. Maps were created to guide follow-up semi-structured interviews with the children and their parents/guardians to understand PA contexts and perceptions of daily PA. The children took 8680 ± 4267 steps/day across 6 ± 1 days. The children provided preferences for PA locations and the parents/guardians gave context by expressing how DDs affect PA and identifying environmental factors in PA locations. The children with DDs who lived near parks, participated in PA that leveraged the strengths of their individual skillsets, and had parents/guardians who provided social support had more positive PA experiences. Combining activity tracking and GPS data with follow-up map-based interviews is feasible to explore PA behaviors and the experiences of children with DDs. This methodology may provide novel insight into daily PA in children with DDs, which can inform how future interventions can support them to be more active and have positive experiences while being active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instructors in organized physical activity classes can be a source of social support through their relationships with participants, influence on participants' interactions with each other, and design of activities. Grounded in interpretive description, the objective of this study was to examine older adults' experiences of and their perspectives on group physical activity instructors' supportive behaviors. Observations of 16 group physical activity classes (N = 295) and focus groups or interviews with N = 38 class participants aged ≥ 55 (n = 29 women) were conducted at four municipal recreation facilities in a Canadian city. Five themes shed light on how instructors provided social support: (a) supporting autonomous engagement, (b) developing caring connections, (c) fostering trust through expert instruction, (d) managing conflict directly and effectively, and (e) creating a climate where people want to go. Instructor training should consider older adults' social support needs and help instructors embody behaviors that support continued physical activity participation, thereby contributing to healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how social participation can be facilitated among older adults in group physical activity and its psychosocial benefits that contribute to successful aging. This study aimed to understand older adults' experiences with social participation in group physical activity programs. Using interpretive description methodology, 16 observations, eight focus groups, and two interviews with participants unable to attend focus groups were conducted with adults 55 years and older attending programs across four recreation facilities. Group programs were found to influence social participation through (a) a meaningful context for connecting and (b) instructors' expectations of social interaction. Social participation in these programs addressed psychosocial needs by (c) increasing social contact and interaction, (d) fostering social relationships and belonging, and (e) promoting regular engagement. Training for instructors should include balancing the physical aspects of program delivery with the social, while also considering older adults' diverse needs and preferences for social interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined older men's body image, with a focus on the role of interpersonal relationships in shaping their psychological adaptation to age-related body changes to appearance, function, and health. Qualitative narrative constructionist study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 men aged 65–83. Data were analysed using thematic narrative analysis; we identified and interpreted patterns in and across the men's stories about their aging bodies. Narratives of purpose through meaningful engagement and belonging through connection permeated the men's accounts. Participants mitigated body-related changes and challenges through pleasurable physical, leisure, and community activities. They derived purpose from these activities as they kept them physically, cognitively, and socially engaged and thus relevant with advancing age, particularly post retirement. The men derived a sense of belonging through social connections. Relationships with family, friends, and community members shaped their capacity for meaningful engagement and associated psychological adjustment to age-related body changes. The findings point to the imperative need to consider how men negotiate their constantly changing, aging bodies within the context of interpersonal relationships, and highlight the role that later life belonging and purpose play in shaping how men experience their bodies as they grow older. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group physical activity programs provide opportunities for older adults to receive social support, which is known to be positively associated with physical activity behavior in this population, but further research is needed to understand how this happens. The purpose of this study was to determine the social support needs and challenges experienced by older adults participating in group physical activity programs and identify social support functions and behaviors that enabled their engagement. Using interpretive description methodology, 16 field observations of classes, eight focus group discussions, and interviews with two participants who were unable to attend focus groups were conducted with adults aged 55 and older attending programs across four recreation facilities. Analysis of the data suggested that (a) there is a need for fostering social relationships in programs, which are imperative for receiving social support. Older adults in the programs supported other participants by (b) initiating their engagement in (more) physical activity, (c) helping them sustain their engagement in physical activity, (d) assisting them with recognizing successful engagement in physical activity, and (e) providing comfort and reassurance during difficult times. Social support behaviors that target older adults' emotional and tangible needs may be most important for promoting and sustaining physical activity. Support provided by other older adults enhanced participants' motivation and abilities to overcome obstacles, as well as enabled them to pursue opportunities for growth in their unique physical activity journeys. Lay summary: Social support can promote physical activity in older adults, but how forms of support are provided must be considered. This qualitative study examined the social support needs and experiences of older adults participating in group physical activity programs to determine social support functions and behaviors that enabled their engagement. Group physical activity programs should aim to foster social relationships among older adult participants in order for them to receive social support that is sensitive and responsive to their needs. Instructors of group physical activity programs should encourage cultural awareness and acceptance among older adult participants for closer social relationships to be developed. Instructors of group physical activity programs should encourage social support behaviors among participants that target older adults' emotional and tangible needs to sustain their engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine elite Canadian individual-sport athletes’ experiences with an Olympic team-selection process. Six nonselected Canadian individual-sport athletes who were attempting to qualify for the Olympics took part in 3 semistructured interviews during the Olympic team-selection process, after they gained knowledge of their selection status, and after the Olympic Games. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three major themes emerged from the interpretation of the athletes’ experiences: (a) pursuing and expressing the Olympic athlete identity; (b) navigating the Olympic team-selection process: expectations, barriers, and tensions; and (c) moving on: reactions, life-goal reinvestment, and athletic-goal adjustment. Participants’ experiences were shaped by personal motivation and social expectations, with changes shifting across the 3 interview periods. Athletes attempted to manage the discontent of nonselection through processes of positive reappraisal, athletic-goal adjustment, and accentuating other life goals and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of collaboration behaviors within interactive exercise groups. Qualitative study. Using semi-structured interviews, 16 individuals who exercise in small groups (e.g., workout partners, participants of interactive fitness classes) were recruited to (a) reflect on their experiences of collaboration within this context, and (b) identify behaviors that members demonstrate that help each other perform exercise tasks and achieve their exercise-related goals. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. We identified three overarching themes (and 14 subthemes) reflecting participants' perceptions and experiences of collaboration in exercise groups including 'motivation building', 'intragroup coaching', and 'personal support'. These collaboration behaviors were noted by participants as important in shaping their continued exercise adherence, enjoyment, and relatedness. This study advances knowledge of the specific ways in which individuals can work together effectively within interactive exercise groups and provides a novel means of understanding how the group environment might best be leveraged to support exercise behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively few older adults are physically active despite extensive research exploring barriers and facilitators and concomitant interventions designed to enhance participation rates. Building on the growing literature that considers the subjective experience of being physically active, we explored the meanings that older Canadian men attributed to physical activity broadly defined. Thus, we examined their experiences and perceptions of exercise, sport and/or leisure-time physical activities. Data are presented from qualitative interviews with 22 community-dwelling Canadian men aged 67–90. Our analysis resulted in three overarching categories that subsumed the men's understanding of physical activity. 'I do it for my health' described how the men stated that their primary reason for engaging in exercise was to maintain their health and body functionality so that they could age well and continue to participate in sport and leisure. 'It feels good' referred to the various ways that the men derived pleasure from being active, including the physical sensations, psychological benefits and social connections they derived from their participation. 'It gets tougher' detailed the ways that the men were finding physical activity to be increasingly difficult as a result of the onset of health problems, declining body functionality and the social realities of ageing. We discuss our findings in light of the extant literature concerning age relations, ageism, and the third and fourth ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on patient-physician interactions has largely ignored the perspectives of older adults with multiple morbidities. Featuring in-depth interview data from 16 men and 19 women with an average of six chronic conditions, this study focused on how participants perceived and experienced the care provided by their primary care physicians. Participants suggested that physicians caring for patients with multiple chronic conditions should be thorough, amenable to gate keeping, trustworthy, and open to different decision-making styles. However, many study participants perceived that they received inadequate care due to the personal failings of their physicians, constraints of medical consultations, and societal ageism. Consequently, many of the participants, especially the women, employed various strategies to maximize the care they received and manage their physicians' impressions of them as worthy patients. Our findings suggest that elderly patients with multiple morbidities perceive that their health needs are not being adequately met.