Exploring recreational activities of the aged in the

Exploring recreational activities of the aged in the Ashanti Region of Ghana BY • *Foster Frempong and Iddrisu Abubakari • Kwame Nkrumah University of Scieence and Technology, • Department of Geography and Rural Development • Kumasi

• "An old man sitting on the ground sees something a child can't see even if he climbs a tree. " Dagbani proverb

Introduction • The aged are persons who are 65 years and over (Mba, 2002; United Nations, 2001) • The world’s aged population is expected to rise from 606 million in 2000 to almost 2 billion by 2050, representing an increase of about 230 percent over the period.

Introduction contd. • The aged may experience an increase incidence of age-related disease and disability • Aside natural causes, this might be due to lack of participation in active recreational activities or exercise

Introduction contd. • Participating in active recreational activities can enhance health, including: – reduced incidence of physical and mental health problems; – delay in functional decline; – reduction of chronic disease onset; and – stabilization of psychological and physical abilities

Introduction contd. • These make participation in recreational activities for the aged a MUST for good health and high quality of life • Increase in active recreation is a possible prevention strategy for cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease (salmo et al, 2003).

Introduction contd. • Also participating in active recreation can strengthen social cohesion and make new friends. • Although there are lots of benefits of active recreation to the aged, there are large numbers of people who do not take part in recreational activities

Introduction contd. • Adults who spent more time in sedentary life style will have an increase likelihood of being overweight or obese (Takemi et al, 2008). • Recognition of the growing older population has generated increased research interest in this area.

The aged in Ghana • Greater numbers of people live up to two and three decades after retirement • The demographic profile of Ghana revealed that persons aged 65 years and above constitutes 5 per cent of the Ghanaian population (GSS, 2005).

The aged in Ghana contd. • Ghana’s ageing population had been precipitated more by rapid fertility decline and improvements in public health measures, personal hygiene, sanitation and nutrition • • The aged population in Ghana 1960 – 1970 12. 5% 2000 – 2010 4. 6% 1970 – 1984 11. 1% (1, 167, 532) 1984 – 2000 32. 5%

Problem statement • Routine active recreation improves one’s general physical health and decreases the risk of medical conditions • Studies have shown that active recreation plays a role in the maintenance of cognitive vitality in older age (Colcombe et al, 2004, Newson &Kemps, 2006)

Problem statement contd. • In the midst of these, many individuals still remain inactive. • Again, the rate of active recreation engagement declines with increasing age (Hamdorf, Starr, & Williams, 2002).

Problem statement • It is therefore necessary to understand more about those factors which may influence individual participation in recreational activities for the aged

Objectives • Examine motivational factors to leisure time active recreation participation among the Jachie society of the aged • Examine constraints to participation in recreational activities by the aged

Study Area • Jachie is a town in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana • Temperature of the area seems to be uniformlyhigh and throughout the year with a mean of around 24ºC. • Relative humidity (RH) is generally high throughout the year

Study area contd. • Jachie society of the Aged was formed in 2005 with an initial population of 70. • It now has a population of 305, 105 males and 200 females. • Members of the association were mainly from the Jachie Township

Study area contd. • Jachie has two health facilities: One Government health center and an eye clinic • Cross-sectional study design was used for the study

Findings from the study Sex of respondents 66% 34% Male Female

30 Age Distribution of Respondents 30 25 25 25 20 20 15 10 5 0 65 - 70 71 - 75 76 - 80 81 - 85

Reported health conditions of respondents Health Conditions Frequency Stroke 2 Percentage (%) 2 Heart disease 6 6 Rheumatism 29 29 Back pain 23 23 High blood pressure 21 21 Diabetes 12 21 Other disease 7 7 Total 100

Recreational activities among respondents Recreational activities Frequency Percentage Morning walking 52 52 Gardening 22 22 Playing musical instrument 2 2 Other activities 24 24 Total 100

Motivation EU Desire to maintain physical health Interesting and fun 1 Desire to engage in challenging activities SI A I EI 1 13 42 43 1 21 43 34 6 40 35 18 5 59 34 Desire for enjoyment and happiness 1 Desire to improve cardiovascular fitness 2 3 20 57 18 Desire to be with friends 18 37 10 23 12 Desire to improve body shape 76 14 5 4 1 Desire to meet new friends 44 39 11 4 1 Desire to improve and obtain skills 67 11 8 10 4 **1=Extremely unimportant, 2=Slightly important, 3=Average, 4=Important, 5=Extremely important

Motivation for leisure • Motivation for leisure for the aged could be classified into: • Fitness motive • Enjoyment and fun motive • Social motive • There was a very weak negative relationship between age and fitness motive

Constraints to participating in leisure activity Intrapersonal – Lack of energy, lack of interest, health problems and age Interpersonal – Lack of encouragement, no partner, no external motivation Structural - Transportation, financial cost and inconvenient

Constraints EU Health problems 8 Lack of energy 4 SI A I EI 11 44 36 6 44 33 8 No knowledge on available recreational facilities 13 19 50 15 1 Lack of interest 19 16 11 Financial cost 32 25 20 7 5 **1=Extremely unimportant, 2=Slightly important, 3=Average, 4=Important, 5=Extremely important 9

Recommendations • Awareness creation – By government and recreational facilities providers • Educational programmes should be instituted, promoted and sustained for the aged • There should be planned pension programme to empower the aged financially.

• Old age in Africa is considered a blessing people grow old and get a special status • http: //www. squidoo. com/genuine-respect-for -old-aged-people-in-african-tradition accessed 3 - 08 - 2012

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