1. 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

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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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).

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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).

10. 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%

12. 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)

13. 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).

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

15. 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

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

17. 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

19. 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

20. Findings from the study Sex of respondents

22. Reported health conditions of respondents Health ConditionsFrequencyPercentage (%) Stroke22 Heart disease66 Rheumatism29 Back pain23 High blood pressure21 Diabetes1221 Other disease77 Total100

23. Recreational activities among respondents Recreational activitiesFrequencyPercentage Morning walking52 Gardening22 Playing musical instrument 22 Other activities24 Total100

24. MotivationEUSIAIEI Desire to maintain physical health1134243 Interesting and fun11214334 Desire to engage in challenging activities6403518 Desire for enjoyment and happiness155934 Desire to improve cardiovascular fitness23205718 Desire to be with friends1837102312 Desire to improve body shape7614541 Desire to meet new friends44391141 Desire to improve and obtain skills67118104 **1=Extremely unimportant, 2=Slightly important, 3=Average, 4=Important, 5=Extremely important

25. 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

26. 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

27. ConstraintsEUSIAIEI Health problems8114436 Lack of energy4644338 No knowledge on available recreational facilities131950151 Lack of interest1916117 Financial cost32252059 **1=Extremely unimportant, 2=Slightly important, 3=Average, 4=Important, 5=Extremely important

29. 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.

30. 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 http://www.squidoo.com/genuine-respect- for-old-aged-people-in-african-tradition

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