Concern on Older Adults Not Partaking In Recreational Activities

1692 Words4 Pages

Introduction
Present-day, there is a countless amount of participants partaking in sport and recreational activities. The rise in interest over the years in physical activity, leisure, and recreation has instigated already voluminous literature on contemporary sport and recreation to multiply (Henderson & Ainsworth, 2001). With this rise in participation and health benefits, it has caught a lot of people’s attention. However, not everyone can participate in recreational activities, certain constraints and barriers are hampering people’s abilities to partake in recreational activities. A growing concern is older adults not partaking in recreational activities, due to certain constraints.
The physical environment is a factor in older adults partaking in recreational activities. As well, the retirement age increasing every year, time will be an issue and financial constraints for future and present adults. Non-participants and occasional participants in sports and physical recreation reported a variety of constraints to participation, with the most common reasons for non-participation being: ’age/too old’; ’injury/illness’; ‘not interested’; ’insufficient time due to work/study’; and ’insufficient time due to family’ (Standing Committee on Recreation and Sport Research Group, 2007). All of this has a major factor on social capital and the economy, each year the total economic cost of physical inactivity is estimated to be $13.8 billion (Medibank 2008). With these constraints, there comes an initiative to try to isolate or solve these constraints. In 2009-10, the Australian Government will encourage community participation in sport and recreation, by providing funding for safe and modern sport and recreation projects and infrastructu...

... middle of paper ...

...tivity: a review. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 22 (3), 188-199.
Hajkowicz, S.A., Cook, H., Wilhelmseder, L., Boughen, N., 2013. The Future of Australian Sport: Megatrends shaping the sports sector over coming decades. A Consultancy Report the Australian Sports Commission. CSIRO, Australia pg. 10
Medibank, 2008, The cost of physical inactivity, Medibank Private, Sydney
571-596.
Rose, N and Bubby, H (2206) ‘Active Sport’ in DCMS (2006) Taking part: The national survey of culture, leisure and sport, annual report 2005/2006, DCMS, London
Standing Committee on Recreation and Sport Research Group 2007 ‘Participation in Sports and Physical Recreation, 2005-06, cat. no. 4177.0’, pg. 5
Section 2 – Department Outcomes – 15 Sport Performance and Participation
Vail, K. (2007). Community Development and Sport Participation Journal of Sport Management, 21, 571-596.

Open Document