Noreen Orr

Pleasure: A forgotten dimension of physical activity in older age

Pleasure is an under-researched and under theorized concept within health and health-related areas, particularly in relation to physical activity in older age. This gap is addressed here. The paper forms part of a larger qualitative project conducted between March 2011 and July 2013 within which fifty-one physically active older adults (age sixty to ninety-two years) were interviewed about their experiences of physical activity. Twenty-seven of these participants were also involved in a photo elicitation exercise whereby they responded to photographic images of themselves doing their activity. The paper reports in-depth on one of the themes - pleasure - that was initially identified through a rigorous categorical-content analysis of this data. An original typology of pleasure for physical activity in older age is developed, which details four significant ideal types of pleasure: sensual pleasure; documented pleasure; the pleasure of habitual action; and the pleasure of immersion. The implications of this typology for debates around embodiment, affect, and narratives of ageing are discussed in relation to health promotion and future research in this underserved area.

Photographing physical activity: using visual methods to ‘grasp at’ the sensual experiences of the ageing body

Within the sociology of sport there is a small but rich strand of literature concerned with understanding the sensual experiences of sport and physical activity. Whilst this work has advanced our understanding of the sensual sporting body, less is known about the mature sporting body and the sensual experiences of older adults. Gaining an insight into the sensual experiences of others is no easy task and this article critically reflects on the methods used to ‘grasp at’ (Hockey and Allen-Collinson, 2007) older adults’ embodied experiences of physical activity. An account of the process and outcomes of the method employed is presented along with visual and textual data to illustrate the problems and possibilities of exploring the sensual experiences of the ageing body within the context of physical activity.

Analysing exceptions within qualitative data: promoting analytical diversity to advance knowledge of ageing and physical activity

Abstract Looking for patterns of meaning within data to identify central themes is a common form of analysis within qualitative research in sport, exercise and health. Far less analytical scrutiny has been directed toward how researchers might deal with ‘exceptional’ data. That is, data which, while telling us something about a central theme, deviates significantly from its defining plotline and characteristics. The purpose of this predominantly methodological paper is to examine exceptions in data gathered from interviews with 51 (m = 23; f = 28) physically active older adults (60 – 92 years of age). Exploiting exceptions within our data revealed unique perspectives within the central themes of: healthy ageing, relationships, and bereavement. Problematising the rise of – and indeed pressure for – methodological simplicity within qualitative research, we assert the continued need for complexity for progressing the intellectual agenda of ageing and physical activity. Engaging with methodological multiplicity, particularly at the level of qualitative data analysis (e.g. via a focus on exceptions), produces important and original knowledge, which has direct relevance for the development of theory, methods and health policy.

How do older people describe their sensory experiences of the natural world? A systematic review of the qualitative evidence

BackgroundDespite the increased scholarly interest in the senses and sensory experiences, the topic of older people’s sensory engagement with nature is currently under researched. This paper reviews and synthesises qualitative research evidence about how older people, including those living with dementia, describe their sensory engagement with the natural world.MethodsTen databases were searched from 1990 to September 2014: MEDLINE (Ovid), MEDLINE-in-Process (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), GreenFILE (EBSCO), ProQuest Sociology, ASSIA (ProQuest), International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (ProQuest); HMIC (Ovid); Social Policy and Practice (Ovid). Forward and backward citation chasing of included articles was conducted; 20 organizations were contacted to identify unpublished reports. Screening was undertaken independently by two reviewers.ResultsTwenty seven studies were included. Thematic analysis revealed that descriptions of sensory experiences are encompassed within six themes: descriptions from ‘the window’; sensory descriptions that emphasise vision; descriptions of ‘being in nature’; descriptions of ‘doing in nature’; barriers to sensory engagement; and meanings of being and doing in nature.ConclusionsOlder people derive considerable pleasure and enjoyment from viewing nature, being and doing in nature which, in turn has a positive impact on their wellbeing and quality of life. Future research could usefully explore how sensory engagement with nature could be used to stimulate reminiscences of places and people, and evoke past sensory experiences to enrich everyday life and maintain a sense of self.The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42015020736).

The Multidimensionality of Pleasure in Later Life Physical Activity

Deeply embedded within Western society, the prevailing master narrative associated with growing older is the narrative of decline (Gullette, 1997). This narrative depicts ageing as natural and an inevitable downward trajectory of physical deterioration, as ‘a tragedy of accumulating deficits, diminishing reserves, and deteriorating attractiveness and strength’ (Randall and McKim, 2008: 4). It is oppressive – downplaying the deeper dimension of ageing and presenting ageing as passively getting rather than actively growing old. This has consequences for the meanings and motivations attributed to physical activity in the sense that ageing can be seen as a problem, to which regular physical activity offers a solution.

Bringing Socio-Narratology and Visual Methods to Focus Group Research

Informed by narrative inquiry, this chapter makes a unique contribution to the theorizing of focus groups. It uses empirical data from research into perceptions of physically active older adults across the life course to critically examine the work that stories can do within a focus group setting. According to Frank (2010), the work of stories is to animate human life by working with people, for people, and always on people. Conceptualizing stories as active social interactions, which are heard and responded to, calls for a new way to collect, share, think about and study them. This approach, which Frank terms socio-narratology, aims to understand what the story does, rather than understand the story as a portal into the mind of the storyteller. Our chapter reports on the analysis of group meetings, which were undertaken with a total of twelve naturally occurring groups representing different stages of the life course. The focus group meetings involved sharing a range of visual material (photography and film), which represented the lived experiences of physical activity amongst a group of older adults. The stories conveyed through these visual stimuli worked with, for, and on the focus group participants, eliciting a range of responses that were imbued with stereotypes, contradictions and episodes of reflexivity. The value of adopting a socio-narratology approach to theorize focus groups, along with the innovative use of various visual data to examine ‘narratives at work’ is discussed.