Recreation Programming for Adults Aged 50 and Older: A Community‐Informed Evaluation Pilot

Canada is in the midst of an unprecedented demographic shift, where nearly a quarter of the population will be 65 or older by 2040. Recreation, leisure and physical activity–related programming represents one strategy to support adults through the changes associated with ageing. Recognising the potential within recreation spaces to support Canada’s ageing population, this cross‐sectional, mixed‐methods pilot study sought to (1) co‐develop a community‐informed evaluation survey designed to capture the experiences of adults aged 50 and older who attend recreation centres in the Greater Victoria Area (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) and (2) pilot the co‐developed assessment tool and conduct initial analysis on the collected data, while exploring its acceptability and perceived relevance using follow‐up interviews. A total of 336 individuals completed the survey, and 15 participated in follow‐up interviews. Participants reported favourable perceptions of recreation centres’ contribution to their physical, mental and social well‐being, and follow‐up interviews indicated that the survey was well received and easy to complete. As a self‐selected sample of current recreation‐centre users assessed with a newly developed, not‐yet‐validated instrument, these findings should be interpreted as evidence of a promising pilot evaluation approach rather than a fully validated one. By employing a co‐developed survey, the work also illustrates the value of inclusive methodologies in community health research.