Attitudes toward older adults and willingness to acquire exercise instruction-related qualifications in university students who experience providing exercise instruction to them

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine Vol. 73; no. 3; pp. 123 - 131
• Main Authors: Otsuki, Takeshi, Suwabe, Kazuya, Shiina, Sumiyo, Yoshikawa, Toru, Zempo-Miyaki, Asako, Somiya, Yuko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine 01.06.2024
• Subjects: community-dwelling older adult; exercise instruction-related qualification; explicit attitudes toward older adult; intergenerational program; mood
• ISSN: 0039-906X; 1881-4751
• DOI: 10.7600/jspfsm.73.123

In Japan, where the population is aging, it is important to train exercise instructors who promote health in older adults. Previous studies demonstrated that an intergenerational program that was not focused on exercise improved university students’ perceptions of older adults, but the effects of an intergenerational exercise-related program have not been explored. This study investigated whether obtaining experience in providing exercise instruction to older adults improved university students’ attitudes toward these adults and their willingness to acquire exercise instruction-related qualifications. Second-year university students majoring in sport and health sciences were divided into intervention (n = 29) or control (n = 33) groups. Students in the intervention group participated in a 5-session program that involved choreographing exercise with music and giving exercise instructions to community-dwelling older adults. In the final session, the students and older adults performed the exercise together, and this session was videotaped. Explicit attitudes toward older adults improved from before to after the program in the intervention group. The percentage of students in the intervention group who were willing to acquire exercise instruction-related qualifications was greater after the program than before it. In the control group, there were no detectable differences in these measures before and after the study period. Students’ feelings (i.e., vitality, stability, pleasure, and arousal) acutely improved after each session in the intervention group. These results may imply that after experiencing the provision of exercise instruction to older adults, university students’ explicit attitudes toward these adults and their willingness to obtain exercise instruction-related qualifications were increased.