The Senior Maracanã Football Club

Context

Lack of exercise is said to be the fourth biggest risk factor for death in the world. Likewise, little or no physical activity is the main cause of about 21 to 25% of breast or colon cancers, 27% of cases of diabetes and about 30% of ischaemic heart disease cases (source: Atlas Network). However old the person, physical and sporting activity is good for the body. The regular practice of a physical and sporting activity, even if moderately intense, will enhance the quality of life and equally participates in improving mental health, notably in reducing anxiety, and /or depressive episodes.

This project aims at making the physical exercises accessible notably to sedentary adult individuals in Burkina Faso along with an efficient medical assistance using technology. The ultimate goal is to spark a passion in older people for physical and sporting activities and to introduce the initiative into the country’s football governing bodies.

Objectives

• Developing sporting activities tailored to the seniors
• Creating a community of “senior” football players and striking friendly and supportive relationships
• Promoting the elderly people’s health and social well-being through football
• Making the football experience attractive, agreeable and enriching for the elderly
• Outreaching using health education sessions about the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and prevention of diseases

Activities

• Organising a launch and awareness raising conference about the benefits of practising physical activities on the older people
• Carrying out basic clinical and psychomotor tests before the enrolment of the participants and the setting up of the first teams
• Screening for high blood pressure and diabetes in members and the elderly people who attend the practices
• Training the first coaches in educational talks on health and in organising periodical Maracana-like matches and tournaments

Impacts

• Formation of 5 teams de 10 seniors (males and females) wearing electronic tagging devices (fit-bit) for optimal remote health monitoring
• Considerable reduction of elderly people’s sedentariness in Burkina Faso with the project’s implementation In several targeted localities.

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