Experiencing the ageing body in aquatic physical activity: Participants’ experiences of the ‘Swim for Health’ aquatic activity programme in the North of England.

The social conceptualisation of ageing as a costly health problem can marginalise older adults from physical activity and health practices (Vertinsky 1991, Elias 1982). ‘Swim for Health’ was a four year aquatic activity (AA) intervention completed in the North of England with the primary aim to reduce health inequalities in four target-groups, three of which included older adults. The present study investigated older adults’ perceptions and lived experiences of AA during ‘Swim for Health.’ 22 older adults (>50years) completed semi-structured individual interviews that focussed upon their perceptions and lived experiences of AA. Participants were recruited during ‘Swim for Health,’ although not all participated in AA. Findings were thematically analysed using a figurational framework. Results suggested that participants’ experiences were linked to their perceived ‘aged’ status. Participation in AA brought participants’ awareness of the ageing body to the fore as an object of display, risk and of stigmatisation. Some perceptions of physical or emotional risk were interdependent with past experiences, such as learning to swim. Others originated in the experience of being stigmatised as old and at risk, such as diagnosis of chronic illness, obesity, or self-monitoring the visible signs of ageing. This study indicates older adults understood their ability to participate in AA in relation to physical decline, increasingly limited physiological capacity, and in terms of their aged appearance being put on public display. Therefore, physical activity interventions should consider the preferences of older adults and shift away from considering older adults as patients, moving instead towards a culture of enablement

The accidental youth club: skateboarding in NewcastleGateshead.

Skateboarders re-invent and interrogate the physical structure of cityscapes as they use spaces, buildings and objects for skating. However skaters are routinely regarded by the civic and business interests who dominate city centre planning and regeneration as, at best, a nuisance and at worst an unruly and dangerous blight. This paper reports findings from a research project involving skaters which begins to unpick this stereotype. A participatory methodology combining mapping, interviews and observation was used to identify spots used by skaters in Newcastle and Gateshead (North East England). The key spots were characterized using Woolley & Johns’(2001) criteria: trickability, accessibility, sociability and compatibility. Findings reveal two further 12 factors – temporal and relational dimensions – are crucial the journeys skaters embark on. Sociability was the one constant factor defining favoured spots. The study revealed a sociable, entrepreneurial, creative skate scene. Far from being a problem the skaters add to the social capital of the cityscape. Our findings suggest rather than designing out skaters from the city the civic authorities should work with skaters to sustain their scene as a positive benefit to city regeneration

Financial work incentives in Britain: comparisons over time and between family types

This paper reviews various techniques for quantifying financial incentives to work, shows how financial work incentives have changed across the population since 1979, and estimates how much of these changes are due to changes in the tax and benefit system.

Gay men, Gaydar and the commodification of difference

Purpose To investigate ICT mediated inclusion and exclusion in terms of sexuality through a study of a commercial social networking website for gay men Design/methodology/approach The paper uses an approach based on technological inscription and the commodification of difference to study Gaydar, a commercial social networking site. Findings Through the activities, events and interactions offered by Gaydar, we identify a series of contrasting identity constructions and market segmentations which are constructed through the cyclic commodification of difference. These are fuelled by a particular series of meanings attached to gay male sexualities which serve to keep gay men positioned as a niche market. Research limitations/implications The research centres on the study of one, albeit widely used, website with a very specific set of purposes. The study offers a model for future research on sexuality and ICTs. Originality/value This study places sexuality centre stage in an ICT mediated environment and provides insights into the contemporary phenomenon of social networking. As a sexualized object, Gaydar presents a semiosis of politicized messages that question heteronormativity while simultaneously contributing to the definition of an increasingly globalized, commercialized and monolithic form of gay male sexuality defined against ICT

Social Bots: Human-Like by Means of Human Control?

Social bots are currently regarded an influential but also somewhat mysterious factor in public discourse and opinion making. They are considered to be capable of massively distributing propaganda in social and online media and their application is even suspected to be partly responsible for recent election results. Astonishingly, the term `Social Bot' is not well defined and different scientific disciplines use divergent definitions. This work starts with a balanced definition attempt, before providing an overview of how social bots actually work (taking the example of Twitter) and what their current technical limitations are. Despite recent research progress in Deep Learning and Big Data, there are many activities bots cannot handle well. We then discuss how bot capabilities can be extended and controlled by integrating humans into the process and reason that this is currently the most promising way to go in order to realize effective interactions with other humans.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figure

Geographies of Skateboarding - Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, UK

This map is the result of a year-long research project on the geographies of skateboarding in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, UK. Skateboarders are often seen as invaders of urban space, subverting it for their own purposes, contrary to the normative actions of others. In the capitalist system, abstract space is created in which behaviour is prescribed and dictated, often for commercial consumption practices. Borden (2001) has suggested that the act of skateboarding the city rejects this use of urban space by implicitly critiquing space and architecture as a commodity. Through the reproduction of space as a play zone, skateboarders offer no monetary exchange value for the time which they spend at a location. This frequently leads to conflict with those seeking to control urban spaces designed for capitalist consumption

Swim for Health Evaluation: interim report

The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), along with a number of partner organisations, has been implementing a health intervention in the region of the City of Kingston upon Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. This report represents a summary of evaluation carried out upon this scheme during its first year. Descriptive statistics of the groups with whom evaluation research has taken place are presented. A number of issues begin to emerge from these; the predominance of British women in all groups, the short distances travelled on average by the groups to leisure centres and the prevalence of swimming as a favoured leisure time activity among several groups. These statistics also allude to the differences found between swimming and non-swimming groups, which are discussed below. Analysis of the timescales taken to implement activities with each of these groups was undertaken. This highlights a number of issues, including; a) the longer timescales required in building completely new partnerships compared with existing ones, b) that the level of ‘buy-in’ among partner organisations can have a large effect on the timescales taken to implement services and c) that a number of developments had to be held back early in the scheme as needs assessments were completed. The location of Swim for Health activities to date was examined. This (examination) demonstrated the geographical centrality of current services, which are largely centred on the City of Hull. This was ascribed to several reasons: a) the utilisation of existing service provision (e.g. GP referrals), which led to specific sessions in Hull, but more general actions across the East Riding, b) the relative ease of access to certain centres for Swim for Health staff compared with others and c) the level of ‘buy-in’ and support of centre managers, which tended to be high in many centres in the City of Hull. Analysis of the processes inherent in the development of the scheme was undertaken. The ‘Programme theory’ of January 2006 was re-appraised in light of the ‘Project Brief’ produced in July 2006. A number of developments are noted, for example the introduction of a fourth gateway group. Impact theory, Service Utilisation plan and the Logic Model produced in the ‘Programme theory’ are re-appraised and the scheme’s developments situated within each. Groups with whom work was discontinued are included. These analyses highlight how work in several areas has progressed well (e.g. GP referral Hull, Surestart), while in others there remains much to be done (Employees). The methods used to formulate goals are described. Goals were defined by stating a target percentage of a specific group’s population that could access a certain session. Appraisal of objectives in the Project Brief of July 2006 was completed. Comments were made regarding each. Again, this analysis highlights how work is at an advanced stage for several gateway groups (e.g. People with a range of health needs), whereas with others it is lagging behind (e.g. people in full time employment). Comments are made regarding the need to make goals more specific, defensible and measurable. In addition, the need to make one group in particular more distinct (people aged 50+) is noted in order to make accurate assessment. Potential weaknesses in the intervention are also posited, including the need for adequate staff training courses and the difficulty of engaging with employing organisations. A number of ‘lessons learned’ from the project are noted in brief. These include reasons for; a) the variable level of uptake and knowledge of the scheme among staff in partner organisations, b) the large proportion of women involved in the scheme (attributed to both the large number of ‘aqua aerobic’ type sessions introduced and the demographics of the groups currently contacted to date), c) the need to bridge the wide disparities in attitudes between current participants and non-participants in order to encourage ‘new’ participants and d) how a number of environmental and social barriers have been tackled in the scheme (self-consciousness and self-monitoring, time constraints and cost). A number of future plans are also outlined in brief. Developments are outlined for each gateway group in turn. Again, this highlights how work is at an advanced stage for some groups, whereas for others it remains at an early stage. Also, the potential for involvement in groups not already within the project’s remit are noted (e.g. school taster sessions for Y10 and Y11 students). Recommendations and conclusions are also drawn from the report. The need to produce more measurable goals is noted, as is the need to work in a wider geographical area. The need to allow adequate allocation of time for developments to occur is also made clear, as is the need to factor in the ‘lag’ between session implementation and increasing participation. This must be considered if the impact of the scheme is to be accurately assessed. Caution is also advised about future expansion from the project remit. Expansion could well detract from the level of impact on existing target groups should resources be redirected. The degree to which the project depends upon partner organisations and their staff is also noted, as is the level of power held by individual centre managers in directing the amount and type of activities in a locality. The need to share best practice across the region and enlist the support of these staff is paramount. This is linked to the greatest challenge faced by the scheme; that of changing perceptions of aquatic activity in both staff and participants

Prospectus, January 9, 2002

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2002/1000/thumbnail.jp