“Until Body Do Us Part”

Abstract

Using a socioecological model as a theoretical framework, we aimed to explore the barriers to retain in competitive sport 463 senior athletes (aged 61.4 ± 5.5 years) actively engaged in sports disciplines from 4 European countries. Participants answered an open-ended question regarding perceived barriers to continued engagement in sports, and their answers were subject to content analysis. The results highlighted physical determinants as the main reasons for potential disengagement from competitive sports. Our data suggest the need to minimize these potential barriers by implementing programs that are designed to keep senior athletes competing in sports for as long as possible.

Contextual barriers to artistic practices among older people: How do older artists perceive them?

“…Socioecological models have been used in studies about public health promotion (Stokols 1992), social participation (Gallardo-Peralta et al 2022) or competitive sports among older adults (Cannella et al 2022). These frameworks enable us to understand older people's artistic practices at an individual's environment level, including intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual elements.…”

A life course perspective on determinants of discontinuance of active participation in sports activities

“…Most previous studies on sports discontinuation focus on adolescents and highlight the importance of intrapersonal (i.e., psychological and social-demographic characteristics) and interpersonal (i.e., social interactions) factors ( Calvo et al, 2010 , Balish et al, 2014 , Crane and Temple, 2014 , Deelen et al, 2018 , Cannella et al, 2022 ). Specifically, people, especially females and lower-educated adolescents, were reportedly more likely to stop sporting in late adolescence ( Lunn, 2010 , Prins et al, 2013 ).…”