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A ‘new life’ story or ‘delaying the inevitable’? Exploring older people's narratives during exercise uptake

Hudson, J.; Day, M.; Oliver, E.J.

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Authors

J. Hudson

M. Day



Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine narratives of ageing in a clinical population embarking on a physical activity/exercise programme, exploring if and how their narratives changed throughout their experiences. Design: The study employed a longitudinal narrative approach. Method: Participants were six sedentary individuals aged between 78 and 89 years who were enrolled on an exercise programme for older adults. During the course of the 32-week programme participants took part in multiple interviews focused on their attitudes towards physical activity and their physical self-perceptions and identity. A structural narrative analysis was used to focus on the progression of the plot outlined in each participant's story. Results: Our results suggested the emergence of two comparative narratives, with each demonstrated in the stories told by three participants. The first narrative is one of decelerated decline, in which the exercise programme is assimilated or fitted into the existing life narrative, but little is made of the personal meaning of being active. In the second narrative, participation in exercise prompted participants to re-story their ageing narratives, changing from initially accepting the decline they associated with an ageing body, to the prospect of gaining some control. While this increased sense of control may intuitively seem positive, participants initially described a number of existential challenges and dilemmas as well as their resolution of these. Conclusion: Participants' emergent stories highlighted that while older adults may perceive exercise positively, their existing narratives of decline may be resistant to change. Where changes do occur, it is important for health professionals to recognize the associated difficulties with gaining increased responsibility for health.

Citation

Hudson, J., Day, M., & Oliver, E. (2015). A ‘new life’ story or ‘delaying the inevitable’? Exploring older people's narratives during exercise uptake. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16(3), 112-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.09.004

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 19, 2014
Online Publication Date Sep 30, 2014
Publication Date Mar 1, 2015
Deposit Date Nov 27, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise
Print ISSN 1469-0292
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 16
Issue 3
Pages 112-120
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.09.004
Keywords Health, Narrative, Exercise, Ageing.

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Copyright Statement
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16, 3, March 2015, 10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.09.004.




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