Older adults
Some older adults were unsure about the ‘right
amount’ of physical activity for someone of their
age [38]. As in other age groups, the lack of realistic
role models in the community was a deterrent.
Exercise prescriptions were perceived as targeted
at young people and not relevant to older groups.
Porter [31] found that older people were anxious
about returning to physical activity and identified
cost and time barriers as the main problems.
Discussion
This paper has reviewed the qualitative research into
the reasons for participation and non-participation
of UK adults and children in sport and physical
activity. The review covered all qualitative papers
relating to sport and physical activity in the United
Kingdom from 1990 to 2004.
Although we did find >20 studies, few studies
met the basic qualitative research quality criteria of
reporting a theoretical framework [45]. It would
appear that little theory is being generated empirically
and suggests that any understanding of
reasons for participation and non-participation in
physical activity in the United Kingdom may be
limited.
Shaw and Hoeber [44] provide one example of
the benefits a theoretical framework brings to
qualitative research in their analysis of the gendered
nature of discourses in three national sporting
bodies. Their feminist discourse analysis framework
directed the research toward the particular
forms of language used in a specific social setting
and the implications of this language for marginalizing
some groups while supporting the dominance
of others. The authors used this framework to
show how the masculine discourses used in senior
positions actively reduced the career opportunities
for women, while men were shown to be actively
deterred from regional development officer posts
by the feminine discourse surrounding these roles.