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

Complex stellar populations in massive clusters: trapping stars of a dwarf-disc galaxy in a newborn stellar super-cluster

Some of the most massive globular clusters of our Milky Way, such as for example omega-Centauri, show a mixture of stellar populations spanning a few Gyr in age and 1.5 dex in metallicities. In contrast, standard formation scenarios predict that globular and open clusters form in one single star-burst event of duration less than about 10 Myr and therefore should exhibit only one age and one metallicity in its stars. Here, we investigate the possibility that a massive stellar super-cluster may trap older galactic field stars during its formation process that are later detectable in the cluster as an apparent population of stars with a very different age and metallicity. With a set of numerical N-body simulations, we are able to show that, if the mass of the stellar super-cluster is high enough and the stellar velocity dispersion in the cluster is comparable to the dispersion of the surrounding disc stars in the host galaxy, then up to about 40 per cent of its initial mass can be additionally gained from trapped disc stars. We also suggest that a super-cluster may capture in excess of its own mass under certain conditions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS: accepte

International perspectives on the theory - practice divide in secondary initial teacher education

This paper is centred on one of the main issues that underpins the move towards more school based initial teacher training in England - who is developing the theoretical aspects of a teacher’s professional knowledge? Traditionally this has been one of the functions of the University. For the purposes of this paper we have focussed on the trainees' perspectives of what theoretical aspects of their training have been developed in schools , which teaching staff were involved and how well was this done

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

Older adults’ lifelong embodied experiences of leisure time aquatic physical activity in the United Kingdom

Aquatic physical activity has considerable benefits for older adults. However, participation rates remain low in the UK. Recognition of the importance of embodied and narrative elements of ageing has increased in recent times. Old age is considered a life stage interdependent with other, earlier life stages, rather than as a distinct period. This study used a figurational perspective to investigate older adults changing perceptions and embodied experiences of aquatic activity throughout their life courses. Perceptions were contextualized by completion of a literature review relating to the development of recreational aquatic activity in the UK. Participants were cognizant of changes in provision and envisaged purpose of aquatic activity during their lifetimes. Previous embodied experiences of aquatic activity contoured present perceptions and helped participants’ rationalize their experiences in the present context. Descriptions of positive early experiences emphasized the social and spatial context of aquatic activity. Also, negative experiences were recounted in which the olfactory and haptic elements of embodiment were described. Participants were able to recount detailed experiences of poor pool hygiene and threatening experiences of learning to swim during early experiences. The importance of support from family members in the pool environment was also outlined. The significance of lifelong experiences is recognized in relation to figurational principles, including the interweaving of long-term socialization and short-term, magnified moments and their effects on habitus development. The implications for physical activity provision in relation to the longitudinal development of older adults’ perceptions are notable

"Swim for Health": program evaluation of a multi-agency aquatic activity intervention in the United Kingdom

This study represents a program evaluation of ‘Swim for Health,’ a multi-agency partnership in two local authorities in the United Kingdom which sought to increase aquatic activity participation among four target groups. A theory-driven, scientific program evaluation model was utilised to assess if the program achieved its stated aims (Rossi et al 2003). Chronological records were maintained. Participation figures were collected and triangulated with 20 semi-structured interviews with programme stakeholders. Barriers to programme implementation included a lack of prior needs-analysis of service provision and the goals of the programme did not always match those of stakeholders. Swim for Health increased participation in three of four target groups. Program enhancements were limited by availability of staff able to deliver novel activities other than aqua aerobics. Consequently participants were primarily women. Implications for future programs are discussed

Site Selection for Joint Logistics over the Shore (JLOTS) Operations Using Multi- Objective Decision Analysis

As the U.S. military faces an increasing need to deploy across a range of military operations and environments, the ability to establish and sustain logistics support remains a major challenge. The Engineer Research and Development Center is currently developing the Planning Logistics Analysis Network System (PLANS), a decision support tool, to facilitate strategic and operational logistics planning. This paper describes a site selection protocol for logistics operations occurring without a suitable port, commonly referred to as Logistics over-the Shore (LOTS) operations. The model uses multi- objective decision analysis techniques to weight different operational criteria to determine the best overall site for logistics over the shore operations. This tool will enhance the time and accuracy in determining an optimal site that meets the decision maker’s specific operational needs