Presentation by Dr Louise Mansfield for the ESRC Seminar Series on Ageing and Physical Activity - "Physical activity among hard to reach groups: Issues for research, policy and practice" http://seminars.ecehh.org

1. EVERY SPORT HAS A
SILVER LINING
PARTNERSHIP WORKING
FOR COMMUNITY SPORT
ENGAGEMENT IN LATER
LIFE
Dr Louise Mansfield
Professor Tess Kay
Professor Julia Fox-Rushby
Dr Nana Anokye

2. Brunel University London
New Directions in
Ageing & Community Sport
1.The Health and Sport Engagement Project
(Mansfield et al., 2015)
2.Engaging older people from hard to reach groups
in community sport
3.Issues of research-practice partnerships and co-
production
2

3. Brunel University London
The Health & Sport Engagement
(HASE) Project
What are we trying to do?
The HASE project aims to improve the
evidence base for the role sport plays in
engaging inactive people, and to produce
information of value to those commissioning
public health programmes that could
potentially include sport.

4. Brunel University London
HASE: Towards an Understanding of the
sport-health dynamic
Key Guiding Principle ‘Doing Sport Differently’
1. (New) knowledge & understanding about inactivity &
subjectivities
2. Developing creative cultures of sport
3. Understanding public health advocacy
4. Understanding sport advocacy
5. Understanding complex local environments
6. Research informed practice and policy

5. Brunel University London
A mixed method study
Mansfield, L. Anokye, N., Fox-Rushby, J, and
Kay, T. A.
The Health and Sport Engagement (HASE)
Intervention and Evaluation Project: Protocol
for the design, process, outcome and economic
evaluation of a complex community sport
intervention to increase levels of physical
activity
BMJ Open 2015:5e009276
Doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009276
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6. Brunel University London
HASE: A Research-Practice-Policy
Partnerships:
from design & delivery to monitoring & evaluation
BC•SHaW

7. Brunel University London
Community Sport and Older People
Living in Hounslow Homes
a growing older population - the number of people aged
over 85 years in Hounslow is set to nearly double in the next
twenty years, from 3,673 in 2012 to 6,075 in 2031 (an
increase of 65%) – JSNA, 2012/13
28 sheltered housing facilities for people over 60 years old
Supported independent living (resident wardens and
scheme managers)

8. Brunel University London
Partnerships
 The ‘go to’ mechanism for commissioning, service
delivery, evaluation and participation (health,
education, transport, sport)
 ‘Partnership-itis’ (Gordon and Hanafin, 1998)
 Sport partnership, policy and politics (McDonald,
2005; Green and Houlihan 2004; Mansfield and
Killick, 2012)
Partnerships as progressive/democratic/inclusive
vs
Partnerships as constraining/autocratic/exclusive.
Presentation Title 8

9. Brunel University London
Partnerships, public engagement, user
involvement
 Political motivations
 Land-use planning 1960s
 Service users in social care (late C20th)
 Political rhetoric of `active citizen', and individual
rights and choice
Presentation Title 9

10. Brunel University London
User Involvement in Research and Evaluation:
Liberation or Regulation? (Beresford, 2002)
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11. Brunel University London
Partnerships and co-production
Co-production means delivering public
services in an equal and reciprocal
relationship between professionals, people
using services, their families and their
neighbours. Where activities are co-
produced in this way, both services and
neighbourhoods become far more effective
agents of change (2009:11).
Boyle, D., and M. Harris. The Challenge of Co-Production.
London: NESTA, 2009.
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12. Brunel University London
Beyond coproduction & service delivery
 co-production
 co-researching
 co-learning
• border crossings; working across artificial institutional
barriers (Giroux 1992)
• public pedagogy is a recognition of learning spaces;
enabling ethical and respectful social change; a language
of critique and possibility (Giroux 2004; 495).
Presentation Title 12

13. Brunel University London
Co-production, HASE project design:
Understanding inactivity
(co-learning with older people)
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14. Brunel University London
Unlocking
insights
about
inactivity
Sporting memories;
sports biographies,
verbal diaries, and
daily sporting lives
Participatory
Activity Tasks:
doing sports
activity (movement
& games)
Mini Group
Discussions;
opinions/attitudes
about sport
(images, messages,
environment, costs)
Stimulus Ideas:
(sport ‘triggers’)
e.g health,
wellbeing, family,
belonging,
escape.
Understanding inactivity in local
community contexts (focus groups)

15. Brunel University London
BC•SHaW
ATTITUDES TO SPORT EXPERIENCING
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
MEMORIES OF
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
SPORT HOOKS /
TRIGGERS
Sport has to be
competitive (60+ M)
I’ve had swimming
lessons when I’m older
but I don’t like it – [I’m
afraid] (60+, F)
My dreadful memory is of
school sports day where I
always came last or fell
over (60+, F)
Make sure there’s tea
(60+, M and F)
What do you mean by
sport? it’s only
competitive isn’t it (60+ F)
Because I can’t
swim…I’m scared of
others jumping in or
passing me (60 + F)
I was sporty when I was
younger, football, cricket
and played golf 4 x a wk.
great but not now (60 +
M)
Something where
someone helps us (60 + ,
M)
I don’t like the pain (60+,
F)
I worried about looking
out of place, arthritis,
confidence, body-
conscious and age. My
husband died ..I was
depressed (60+ F)
I loved swimming. I loved
being able to do it. The
water supports you (60+
F)
at school I did it ..but then
I was active working and
raising 3 children (60 + F)
I’d be keen to do more ..
a range of different things
… I’d be nervous (60+ F
& M)
You aren’t going to get us
doing football and netball
are you? (60 + M and F)
this is fun …a good
challenge and it’s good to
try something out. (60+F)
breathing - it feels nice,
the air going in (60+ F)
I did loads of sport in
school …enjoyed it …but
it’s the age thing maybe
….I am keen to get back
to it (60 +F)
Find me a partner … (60
+M)

16. Brunel University London
Co-production & co-learning:
HASE project design
Education/training
with sport coaches & public health
professional
Presentation Title 16

17. Brunel University London
BC•SHaW
RSPH Level 2 Award in Understanding Health
Improvement
Raising
awareness
of public health
issues
It just gave me some space to think about health …and
how what I do can link to public health issues (Sport
Deliverer)
I hadn’t thought about health in this way before (Sport
Deliverer)
Tailoring
training
to local needs
…..tailored locally (it can) help provide an understanding
for the person who hasn’t had much involvement in
health or the health sphere (Health & Wellbeing
Commissioning Manager)
The Hounslow portion of that training was amazing, that
was brilliant, I really liked it. I thought that it was crazy
that people in Chiswick ward live on average, four years
longer than people that live you know in like other parts
of Hounslow for example. I’m now able to talk to kids
about health in general (Sport Coach)

18. Brunel University London
MAKESPORTFUN Workshops
Planning &
design
sport for
health
The workshops gave us proper planning time and help
(Project Lead)
One of the key things, was being in the mix with so many
people from different sports, that everyone had different
stories to talk about, different experiences to share
(Project Volunteer)
Knowledge
exchange
I just didn’t know all these people were doing this kind of
thing that’s so relevant to what I do (Sport Deliverer)
Doing sport
differently
I didn’t realise sport could be different (Public Health
Professional)
Signposting /
referring to
community
sport for
health
We need to get a working referral approach in place
(Public Health Professional)

19. Brunel University London
The workshops were good - when you’re actually discussing
the practicalities, logistics, (asking) in reality how can we do
this? You never get a chance to have discussions and
actually properly sit down and plan how would I do this, what
methods can I use .. with others? Because that sort of
camaraderie in a way leaves you feeling motivated, ready to
go. You know there’s other people out there who are doing
the same thing, trying to achieve the same goals. And I was
able to go from one workshop, try something in the middle
and then come back to the next one and talk about actually I
did this and it worked or it didn’t work (Project Lead, Older
People Project, Sheltered Accommodation)

20. Brunel University London
From design to tailored delivery:
Doing Sport Differently
BC•SHaW

21. Brunel University London
How did we co-research in the
HASE Project?
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22. Brunel University London
Extensive Formative Involvement
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23. Brunel University London
HASE Outcome (effectiveness) Measures:
Repeated Measures:
Before & After Intervention + 12 month follow up
Outcome measures
Levels of Physical
Activity
IPAQ short form (SIM screening)
Levels of Sport Single item sport measure (trial)
Health Status EQ5D
Wellbeing Annual Population Survey Questions
Demographic Monitoring and Evaluation
Gender, age, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic status
The Health and Sport Engagement Project Lifestyle
Survey

24. Brunel University London
HASE Process Evaluations:
People, Places, Planning, Participation
Processes Evaluation method
Understanding inactivity Focus groups with target inactive groups
(32 x 1 hour focus groups, more than 250
potential participants)
Understanding health
knowledge of sport sector
Observations of health training for sport delivery
personnel
(RSPH level 2 Understanding Health
Improvement, MakeSportFun Workshops, on-line
disability, UsGirls)
Understanding community
sport knowledge of public
health sector
Observations of community sport training for
public health delivery personnel
(MakeSportFun Workshops, Knowledge
Exchange Activities)
Understanding what works
and doesn’t in delivering
community sport for health
Interviews (3 phase, 30 minutes telephone and
one-one with deliverers and participants) and on-
going observations

25. Brunel University London
What can be co-learnt about
community sport for older people,
living in sheltered accommodation
from a partnership perspective?
17 November 2015
Presentation Title 25

26. Brunel University London
Partnership group Co-learning for community sport
From what older people
living in sheltered
accommodation tell us
Views, memories, needs, experiences (accessible,
challenging, supported, sociable, regular, quality,
diverse, flexible)
From what our sport
coaches tell us
Complex needs, targeting and continual support,
adapted sport and multi-sport, tailored health training,
spaces to think about sport for health
From what we
(researchers) observe
Balance knowledge / understanding from potential
participants and key experts (sport and public health),
planning and knowledge exchange are key to
successful delivery, patience, perseverance and
flexibility
From what policy on older
people and physical activity
is saying
Rhetoric Reality
From what other research
evidence is telling us
Physical activity for health and wellbeing in older age,
significant barriers for older people and particularly the
hard to reach
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27. Brunel University London
Has a partnership worked in the HASE project
for ‘hard to reach’ older people?
Partner Success ?
Policy makers yes to increase participation numbers and produce
best practice case studies, support the link between
sport and public health
Researchers yes for funding and publications
Sport coaches yes for funding and knowledge / skill development
Public health
professionals
questionable; raised awareness rather than improving
provision / sign posting to community sport
People living in
sheltered
accommodation
For some, not all; questions of sustainability
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28. Brunel University London
Understanding Partnerships
 Partnerships are dynamic, contextual and deeply
contradictory are marked by structuring relations
of power (McDonald, 2005)
 Partnerships - framed by instrumentalism,
bargaining and pragmatic compliance (Newman,
2001).
 “…it is trust and cooperation that centrally
articulate networks” (Frances et al., 1991: 15)
Presentation Title 28

29. Brunel University London
The 4 Rs:
the socio-dynamics of research-practice-policy
partnerships in community sport
It’s not just about asking peoples’ opinions
Reciprocity – mutual respect & trust in the give and
take of research relations
Resilience – developing appropriate strategies in the
face of adversity; knowing when things aren’t working
and knowing when to stop
Resourcefulness – understanding peoples’ skills,
access to and use of resources
Reflection – “the muddy swamp” of introspection and
critique (Finlay, 2002)
Presentation Title 29

30. Brunel University London
Some final thoughts
Challenges of Community Sport Research-
Practice Partnerships for Public Health
by shifting between the subject as private person
and public citizen, the interplay between culture and
policy operates to produce loyal citizens who learn
to govern themselves in the interest of dominant
(capitalist) political systems (Howell and Ingham,
2001)
Reproduction of
healthism and wellbeingism in older age;
the active ageing agenda?