Setting for exercise and concerns about body appearance of women who exercise

Barriers to, and Facilitators of, Exercising in Fitness Centres among Adults with and without Physical Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Fitness centres are an obvious arena for performing physical activity for the general population but representation of adults with physical disabilities (AwPD) is lacking. To increase possibilities for AwPD to exercise in fitness centres together with adults without physical disabilities (AwoPD), the aim of this study was to identify, synthesise, and compare barriers to, and facilitators of, exercising in fitness centres for each group. A scoping review was conducted and data extraction of the barriers and facilitators was performed independently by two researchers on six categories of contextual factors based on the framework of Di Blasi: (1) The fitness centre setting; (2) The fitness centre user characteristics; (3) The fitness instructor/staff characteristics; (4) The fitness centre user–instructor/management relationship; and (5) The fitness/exercise characteristics. An extra category, (6) Other relationships, was added. The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews was used for reporting. Of the 102 included papers, only 26 (25%) of the papers were on AwPD, which focused mainly on physical barriers (category 1: inaccessible settings). In contrast, the remaining 76 papers involving AwoPD focused primarily on facilitators (category 2: motivational factors and exercising effects). In categories 3–6, the two groups had similar results, as both groups preferred skilled instructors, a welcoming and comfortable fitness centre environment, an ability to exercise at their preferred type and level, and good social connections. Since most data were based on AwoPD, more studies on actual experiences from AwPD are needed, to reveal the facilitators/motivational factors for fitness centre use.

An Examination of Women's Self-Presentation, Social Physique Anxiety, and Setting Preferences during Injury Rehabilitation

Objectives. This study investigated whether women experience self-presentational concerns related to rehabilitation settings and explored preferences for characteristics of the social and physical treatment environment in relation to women's Social Physique Anxiety (SPA). Methods. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted. In Study 1, female undergraduate students (n = 134) completed four questionnaires (Social Physique Anxiety Scale; three bespoke questionnaires assessing self-presentation in rehabilitation and social and physical environment preferences) with respect to hypothetical rehabilitation scenarios. Study 2 recruited injured women who were referred for physiotherapy (n = 62) to complete the same questionnaires regarding genuine rehabilitation scenarios. Results. Women with high SPA showed less preference for physique salient clothing than women with low SPA in both hypothetical (p = 0.001) and genuine settings (p = 0.01). In Study 2, women with high SPA also preferred that others in the clinic were female (p = 0.01) and reported significantly greater preference for private treatment spaces (p = 0.05). Conclusions. Self-presentational concerns exist in rehabilitation as in exercise settings. Results indicated inverse relationships between women's SPA and preference for the presence of men, physique-enhancing clothing, and open-concept treatment settings. Future studies to determine the effect of self-presentational concerns on treatment adherence are needed.

A qualitative examination of women's self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE

To understand women's self-presentation experiences in the rehabilitation setting, and their attitudes and preferences toward the social and physical features of the rehabilitation environment.

DESIGN

Qualitative study.

SETTING

Outpatient physiotherapy clinic.

PARTICIPANTS

Ten women (age 18 to 64) with high social physique anxiety (Social Physique Anxiety Scale score ≥25) referred for physiotherapy following acute injury.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Semi-structured interviews were conducted prior to commencement of treatment, and again after a third treatment session.

RESULTS

Participants experienced extensive self-presentational concerns that were intensified due to the nature of the physiotherapy environment. The women reported that their self-presentational anxiety did not diminish over time, and was related to others' negative perceptions regarding their physical appearance and inability to perform exercises as well as expected. The presence of men or younger women in the clinic was identified as a barrier to appointment attendance, along with open concept clinic settings, which were associated with the most potential for evaluation. Mirrors and windows in the physiotherapy clinic were highlighted as anxiety provoking. The women suggested that they would feel apprehensive about advocating for themselves if they felt uncomfortable with the area in which they were receiving treatment, and instead used avoidance coping strategies (e.g., hiding behind equipment, preventing eye contact) to manage their anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Physique-anxious women experience extensive self-presentational concerns in the rehabilitation environment, which could affect treatment adherence. Modifying the treatment setting, providing protective self-presentational strategies such as positive self-talk, and open patient-therapist communication could be implemented to help mitigate these concerns.

Smoking cessation in women with severe mental illness: exploring the role of exercise as an adjunct treatment

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of exercise in smoking cessation in women with severe mental illness (SMI).

METHODS

Semistructured interviews with 12 women diagnosed with SMI receiving smoking cessation treatment were conducted.

RESULTS

Participants perceived three roles for exercise in assisting smoking cessation--addressing fears with preexisting chronic health conditions, emotion management and distraction, and weight management. Most participants identified health care providers (HCPs) as needing to play a supportive role in integrating exercise into smoking cessation attempts.

CONCLUSION

Findings support a potential role for exercise in facilitating smoking cessation among women with SMI.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

HCPs should consider developing referral links with exercise specialists to facilitate smoking cessation in women with SMI.