The influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on municipal meeting places arranging group exercise for older persons

PURPOSE

Many municipalities today, together with other stakeholders, offer group exercises for the older population via municipal meeting places, focusing on promoting good health. During the Covid-19 pandemic, these group exercises either continued in a modified form or ceased. The aim of this study was to explore involved stakeholders' experiences of group exercises for older persons arranged via municipal meeting places during the Covid-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Six online focus group interviews were conducted with 25 stakeholders, such as decision-makers and representatives from the non-profit sector, from seven municipalities in Sweden. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

The collaboration around the group exercises was challenged due to affected communication and decision-making. The stakeholders described the importance of adapting and finding new ways to offer group exercise. Furthermore, the re-arranging of group exercises created concerns about the well-being of the older persons but also happiness with the older persons ability to act for their own well-being during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of the municipalities exchanging experiences, making the older persons more involved in the decision-making process, enabling a person-centred encounter with the older persons when exercising in groups, and strengthening supportive environments by sharing the ownership of arranging the group exercises with the older persons.

Examining the capacities of municipal governments to reduce health inequities: a survey of municipal actors' perceptions in Metro Vancouver

OBJECTIVES

Canada is an increasingly urban nation, with considerable health inequities (HI) within its urban centres. While Canadian municipalities have a range of policy and planning levers that could reduce the burden of HI, little is known about how municipal employees perceive the capacities of municipal governments to address HI within their jurisdictions. This study sought to capture these perceptions through a survey of politicians and senior-level staff working in Metro Vancouver municipalities.

METHODS

The survey was administered by mail to 637 politicians and senior-level staff from 17 municipal governments in Metro Vancouver. The survey captured respondents' perceptions on the responsibilities of, opportunities for, and constraints on, municipal-level action to address HI, as well as respondents' input on existing municipal policies and programs that could reduce HI in their jurisdictions.

RESULTS

Respondents perceived senior governments to bear greater responsibility for reducing HI than municipalities. Investing in "parks & recreation facilities" was considered the most promising policy lever for addressing HI, while "insufficient federal and provincial funding" was perceived to be the greatest constraint on municipal action. "Affordable housing" and "recreational programs" were the most commonly identified existing strategies to address HI in the municipalities sampled.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings revealed concerns about inter-governmental downloading of responsibilities, and behaviour-based assumptions of disease etiology. To advance an urban health equity agenda, more work is needed to engage and educate municipal actors from a range of departments on the social determinants of health inequities.