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The personal and community impact of a Scottish Men's Shed
Author(s)Emma J Foster, Sarah-Anne Munoz, Stephen J Leslie
Journal titleHealth and Social Care in the Community, vol 26, no 4, July 2018
PublisherWiley, July 2018
Pagespp 527-537
Sourcehttp://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hsc
KeywordsOlder men ; Participation ; Recreation ; Isolation ; Well being ; Qualitative Studies ; Scotland.
AnnotationSocial isolation and loneliness are known to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, reducing social isolation and loneliness may improve such outcomes. In relation to men's health, Men's Sheds have been shown as one mechanism to achieve this. Studies in Australia and England have shown social, health and personal benefits; however, this remains an area that has not yet been researched in Scotland. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of attendees, self-reported motivations for, and the values and benefits of, attending the Shed from the views of the attendees themselves. Study participants were members of a Men's Shed in the North of Scotland, which was initially set up by a small number of core Shedders. A convenience sample was recruited by opportunistic interviewing of participants when they attended the Shed between 1 and 15 November 2016; a mixed methods approach was used. In the absence of a validated questionnaire, a bespoke questionnaire was developed in several iterative stages. The answers to the questionnaire were transferred to an electronic database and analysed by frequency and thematic analysis. The 31 participants had a mean age of 69.7 (SD ± 9.5), all but one being retired. The results suggest that there were several benefits from attending the Shed. An overwhelming majority of the sample reported personal, social and health benefits; however, more research is needed to determine the magnitude of these benefits. This study has also shown that the men attending the Shed frequently discussed health, which could potentially have a beneficial effect. As a community project, the Shed has the potential to have a positive impact on health welfare by focusing on the social aspects of life. (RH).
Accession NumberCPA-180720212 A
ClassmarkBC: TMB: H: TP: D:F:5HH: 3DP: 9A

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