The Impacts of Engagement in Men's Sheds on Incidental Physical Activity and Wellbeing Outcomes

Background: As a large proportion of older adults are insufficiently active, it is imperative to identify ways to increase incidental physical activity. Men's Sheds, a mutual-aid, community-based organisation appear to be a promising approach for optimising wellbeing outcomes.

Objectives: To investigate whether Men's Sheds attendance is associated with higher levels of physical activity, and the relationships between physical activity, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and wellbeing in Men's Shed members.

Methods: Participants (N = 45) wore a hip accelerometer (Actigraph GTX-9) for 11 days. The majority (n = 30, M_age = 72.3 ± 9.4) also consented to complete an online questionnaire investigating HRQOL and wellbeing.

Results: Linear mixed models revealed members, on average, spent an additional 34 min in light physical activity, had an extra six breaks in sedentary behaviour, and took an extra 1193 steps on days they attended Men's Sheds, though, these effects were small. Physical activity was not significantly associated with HRQOL and wellbeing.

Conclusion: Men's Sheds appear to be a valuable approach for increasing light intensity physical activity, breaks in sedentary behaviours, and step count in older adults. However, additional Men's Shed activities specifically targeting increased movement may be required to realise greater impacts on health-related quality of life and wellbeing. SO WHAT?: Men's Sheds may provide a valuable opportunity to increase some indices of physical activity, which may contribute to better overall health. While these effects may be small for active Men's Shed members, these effects may be more appreciable for more sedentary individuals.