Background: It is estimated that 17% of the UK adult population are informal carers, usually for a family member, with a majority reporting that they are not able to engage in physical activity as much as they would like. The aim of this review is to provide a greater understanding of the prevalence of, and barriers and facilitators to, physical activity of informal carers in the United Kingdom. Methods: A systematic review of relevant databases and grey literature was undertaken, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidance, from its inception until July 17, 2020. Results: Barriers to physical activity include increasing aging, not wanting to leave the caree alone, the caree being unable to take part in activities, health conditions, fatigue, lack of time, and difficulties in changing the routine for the caree. Facilitators include an appreciation of the benefits of engaging in exercise, previous participation in activities, group activities with similar people, and having some free time. Conclusions: Due to the paucity of research into the prevalence of, and barriers and facilitators to, physical activity in informal carers in the United Kingdom, this systematic review highlights the need for further research, focusing primarily on the physical activity of informal carers caring for individuals with a range of conditions. A further systematic review exploring these issues internationally is warranted.

BackgroundPrevious research has found physical activity levels among carers are low, and that carers are at greater risk of physical inactivity than their non-carer counterparts. Alternatively, research also suggests providing care may be associated with higher levels of physical activity than the general population, due to physically active care duties. Overall, there is a need to better understand the physical activity levels of carers to develop appropriate interventions and policies to promote health and wellbeing among carers. AimTo systematically review studies reporting the prevalence of physical activity among carers. MethodPubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and CINAHL, OpenGrey, Google and Google Scholar were searched for eligible articles. ResultsA total of 77 observational studies and 20 interventional studies were included. In low quality studies which examined adherence to physical activity guidelines, 16%-84% of carers self-reported not meeting PA guidelines, whilst medium-high quality studies found 29.9% -99%< of carers self-reported not meeting physical activity guidelines. However, it is not clear if carers are at higher risk of physical inactivity than non-carers. Studies which compared the physical activity levels of carers to non-carers reported conflicting results, and the association between hours of carers time, burden or strain, and physical activity was not consistent across studies. ConclusionFurther research with validated measures of different physical activity domains (leisure time, daily physical activity, caregiving duties), mental and physical health, is needed to better understand the physical activity behaviours of carers, and the associated health outcomes.

Reflective practice is becoming increasingly recognised as a tool used to enhance the development and effectiveness of sport psychology practitioners. It has recently become an established feature within UK-based training and accreditation programmes for sport psychology practitioners and it was the personal benefit found by the authors of group-based reflections within their own training experiences that stimulated this reflection. This exploratory paper provides the personal accounts of two trainee sport and exercise scientists. The narratives outline the perceived importance of using group-based reflective practice to develop applied practitioner skills. These, in concert with literature from other fields, resulted in the development of a model for successful group-based reflective practice that outlines the conditions and skills that are proposed to be important for such practice as a tool for learning.

No abstract

No abstract