Intergenerational social innovation project "Cos_Avos": active aging through Physical Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v76.117886Keywords:
Sport, elderly population, integration, education, discriminationAbstract
Introduction: The population of older adults grows exponentially, age discrimination, negative stereotypes and prejudice towards them are on the rise. To combat this, there is a need for proposals that enhance people’s perception of the older adults by presenting aging as a positive paradigm.
Objective: to generate empathy, collaboration, improved social relations, open-mindedness and initiative among older adults, children and adolescents.
Methodology: 767 school (8 to 16 years old), and 141 older adults (65 to 89 years old) took part of physical-sports activities carried out over a 10 days period in the social-health centers. To evaluate the effect of intergenerational project on the emotional, social, functional and cognitive dimensions of the participants, an ad hoc questionnaire was carried out.
Results: The results showed a significant positive effect (p<0.05) across all the groups, with the results obtained by the high school group (in the social, 5.00±0.00), cognitive (5.00±0.00) and emotional (4.90±0.12) dimensions) being particularly noteworthy.
Discussion: The results suggest that intergenerational physical-sport activities effectively reduce age-related stereotypes and promote mutual understanding. The emotional and social benefits observed align with existing literature emphasizing the value of shared movement and cooperation for psychological well-being. Future research should explore long-term effects and strategies for integrating these programs into education and community health.
Conclusions: The project received highly positive evaluations from both students and older adults, who highlighted increased empathy, creativity, and social responsibility, as well as enthusiasm for future participation.
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