Factors Contributing to Women’s Ability to Maintain a Walking Program

Previously inactive rural adults' experiences of commencing and maintaining a walking routine following participation in a walking intervention

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to richly describe previously inactive Riverland adults' experiences of commencing and maintaining a walking routine following participation in a walking intervention.

DESIGN

Qualitative description using semi-structured in-depth interviews and thematic analysis.

SETTING

Riverland, South Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Nine adults (four men and five women) aged between 40 and 65 years.

INTERVENTION

Six-week walking intervention included issuing of pedometers, setting goals, completing logs and weekly emails to remind participants to wear their pedometers, recording of steps and provision of strategies for increasing daily steps.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Rich description of participants' experiences represented by four themes and a number of subthemes, supported by direct quotes.

RESULTS

Four themes: taking care of me through my walk, pedometers and accountability as motivators, fitting walking in and commencing and maintaining a walking routine.

CONCLUSIONS

The participants' experience of commencing a walking routine differed from maintaining a walking routine. Future attempts to support maintenance of a walking routine may be strengthened through identifying and including ways to provide accountability for walking to others beyond the intervention as well as strategies that support the integration of walking into every activity. Furthermore, future walking interventions should enable participants to tailor their walks to their own preferences and mental health benefits of walking should be promoted at least as much as the physical benefits.

Application of a gender-based approach to conducting a community health assessment for rural women in Southern Illinois

Rural populations in the United States experience unique challenges in health and health care. The health of rural women, in particular, is influenced by their knowledge, work and family commitments, as well as environmental barriers in their communities. In rural southern Illinois, the seven southernmost counties form a region that experiences high rates of cancer and other chronic diseases. To identify, understand, and prioritize the health needs of women living in these seven counties, a comprehensive gender-based community health assessment was conducted with the goal of developing a plan to improve women's health in the region. A gender-analysis framework was adapted, and key stakeholder interviews and focus groups with community women were conducted and analyzed to identify factors affecting ill health. The gender-based analysis revealed that women play a critical role in the health of their families and their communities, and these roles can influence their personal health. The gender-based analysis also identified several gender-specific barriers and facilitators that affect women's health and their ability to engage in healthy behaviors. These results have important implications for the development of programs and policies to improve health among rural women.

Heart and Soul Physical Activity Program for African American Women

African American women are less physically active than White women and have a higher prevalence of inactivity-related diseases. Increased physical activity is known to reduce the risks for many chronic diseases. Positive health behavior changes have resulted from health promotion interventions conducted in African American churches. Eighteen midlife African American women participated in the Heart and Soul Physical Activity Program (HSPAP), a church-based physical activity intervention conceptualized in appraisal, belonging, tangible, and self-esteem domains of social support. Feasibility of the HSPAP was tested by determining changes in time and intensity of physical activity and social support for physical activity from baseline to 6 weeks. Data analyses were conducted utilizing paired t tests. Significant increases in time spent in physical activity from a mean of 412 min/week at baseline to 552 min/week at 6 weeks were noted. Participants reported increases in social support for physical activity in the 6-week study.

Lapses and psychosocial factors related to physical activity in early postmenopause

PURPOSE

After menopause, leisure physical activity (PA) levels seem to decline for reasons that are not completely understood. This study examines the associations between PA, lapses in PA, and psychosocial factors in early postmenopausal women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional analysis included 497 women from the Women on the Move through Activity and Nutrition study. PA was assessed with a past-year, interviewer-administered Modifiable Activity Questionnaire. Measures of activity lapses of >or= 2 wk in the past 6 months, exercise decision making, processes of change, and self-efficacy were collected along with Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, and Short Form-36.

RESULTS

Mean age of participants was 56.9 yr. Compared with less active women, women with significantly higher activity levels reported greater exercise self-efficacy (r = 0.31), more frequent use of behavioral exercise processes of change (r = 0.31), greater perceived benefits for PA (r = 0.22), and better physical quality of life (r = 0.16) (all P < 0.001). Women reporting no activity lapses had higher reported activity levels than regularly active women with lapses or occasionally active women with lapses (P < 0.0001 for trend). Of the women who reported lapses, 24% reported low self-confidence, 43% reported difficulty controlling their weight, and 55% reported difficulty maintaining their diet when they lapsed from PA. Thirty-nine percent of women reporting lapses did not resume PA (i.e., relapsed to inactivity). Higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, and less frequent use of behavioral exercise processes of change, were associated with relapse to inactivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Future interventions for early postmenopausal women should consider psychosocial factors when attempting to encourage and maintain higher levels of PA. Addressing and preventing PA lapses may help to achieve PA goals in this population.

Get moving! Physical activity counseling in primary care

PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to present strategies to improve the effectiveness of physical activity counseling for adults in primary care settings. Adoption of physical activity can be part of a healthy lifestyle to prevent or manage many chronic and debilitating conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

DATA SOURCES

Original research articles reporting results from descriptive studies and clinical trials testing the effectiveness of physical activity counseling in primary care. Journal articles and Web sites are cited as patient and professional resources.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite conflicting research findings on the effectiveness of physical activity counseling in primary care, the importance of an active lifestyle in promoting health and well-being is well known. Yet, only one third of all Americans attain adequate daily physical activity. Implementing physical activity counseling in primary care is one method to promote active lifestyles. Some strategies to promote physical activity counseling in primary care settings are identified, including use of the Five A's approach and printed materials. Suggestions to manage the barriers primary care providers experience with physical activity counseling include brief counseling sessions involving all members of the health team.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The implementation of a brief physical activity counseling intervention in primary care settings is presented as a promising method to promote physical activity in adults. Nurse practitioners can deliver this counseling in a succinct, well-planned session to promote physical activity and reduce the potential devastating consequences associated with a sedentary lifestyle.