Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between participation in a group physical activity program and social support for adults 55 and older. The older adult population is expected to double over the new few decades, and this could have a substantial impact on society. Older adults are at risk for decreased physical abilities that can lead to disease and disability, and they often encounter fewer social connections that can lead to loneliness and social isolation. Physical activity programs can improve or maintain physical fitness levels of adults, but these programs can also facilitate social support systems for their participants. Group physical activity programs can address both physical and social concerns for older adults, and there is a need to highlight the social components of these programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in a group physical activity program and social support for older adults. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a social support questionnaire that was given to seventeen participants before and after participation in Fit for Life, a group physical activity program for adults 55 and older at the University of California, Davis, Activities and Recreation Center. Paired t-tests were used to examine within-group differences on the questionnaire (pre-test vs. post-test), and independent t-tests were used to examine between-group differences on gender (female vs. male). To adjust for the small sample size, an alpha level of .15 was adopted to detect any trends in the following analyses. Overall, participants experienced marginally significant changes in two of the four dimensions of social support on the pre-test vs. post-test comparisons. Participants had a tendency to experience more emotional support and positive social interaction after participating in the Fit for Life program. No pre-test–post-test differences were found on informational support, affectionate support, or the overall total score. Based on these trends, recommendations for future research include increased sample size and choosing participants with no previous experience in this type of programming.