West Norfolk's over-55s urged to take part in survey

West Norfolk’s over-55s are being urged to contribute to a new study which investigates the impact retirement has on older people’s activity levels.

Earlier this year, Active Norfolk received £45,000 Sport England Core Markets funding for PARTS (Physical Activity in Retirement Transition Study) to develop new research into people’s physical activity as they enter retirement.

Physical activity in later life has a range of social, physical and mental health benefits, but currently not enough is known about how physical activity habits are affected by retirement.

Active Norfolk’s physical activity development manager, Stephen Hulme, said: “Retirement is becoming a more fluid and harder to define transition in people’s lives.

“Working in partnership with the University of East Anglia, the PARTs study will help us to grow our understanding of what is happening to people’s activity levels at this stage of life, and to develop opportunities to ensure that they are able to remain or become physically active into later life.”

The outcome of this research will feed the development of activity provision for older people to prevent a decline in their activity levels, and maximise the opportunities to be active that retirement presents and the benefits that being active can bring.

Active Norfolk is urging anyone over 55 to take part in the short 10 to 15 minute survey to contribute to this research, regardless of their levels of physical activity.

Those who complete the survey will have the chance to opt in to win a number of high street shopping vouchers.

A further significant three year financial award for programme implementation has been secured in principle from Sport England, pending the outcome of the research.

The study is open until October 8, and can be found via www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PARTS2018

To find out more about the PARTs study, visit www.activenorfolk.org/parts-survey, or email rachel.cooke@activenorfolk.org.