Age-Associated Perceptions of Physical Activity Facilitators and Barriers Among Women in Rural Southernmost Illinois

Abstract

IntroductionWomen living in rural areas in the United States experience disproportionately high rates of diseases such as obesity and heart disease and are less likely than women living in urban areas to meet daily physical activity (PA) recommendations. The purpose of our research was to understand age-specific perceptions of barriers and facilitators to rural women engaging in PA and to identify strategies to promote PA among these women.MethodsAs part of a community health assessment to learn about women’s health issues, 110 adult women participated in 14 focus groups. The women were divided into 4 age groups, and focus groups were held in various community settings. We used qualitative analysis methods to explore themes in the women’s narratives, including themes related to PA knowledge, PA behavior, and access to PA facilities.ResultsParticipants described multiple and often conflicting individual, social, and environmental barriers and facilitators to PA. Several barriers and facilitators were shared across age groups (eg, competing priorities and inadequate knowledge about PA’s role in disease prevention and disease management). Other barriers (eg, illness and injury) and facilitators (eg, PA as a social opportunity) differed by age group.ConclusionRural women in southernmost Illinois have often contradictory barriers and facilitators to PA, and those barriers and facilitators are different at different points in a woman’s life. Our findings suggest the need for multilevel, multisector approaches to promote PA. Additionally, this research supports the need for tailored PA promotion programs for rural women to address the barriers these women face across their lifespan.

Barriers to physical activity in women with and without breast cancer

“…The same occurred with the social factors, that affected the behavior of the diagnosed women more than the women without diagnosis. The most mentioned barriers to PA related to the social factors in previous studies are the lack of money, lack of knowledge, lack of time and the absence of free programs aiming to promote PA, corroborating the results of our study 10,[12][13][14]16,17,19,[23][24][25][26][27]29,30,32,33 . These findings regarding women's perceived barriers recognize that multiple reasons can inhibit regular PA engagement, and some of these factors are related to the socioeconomic status of these women.…”

“…In addition, these findings add to the grow- Our study observed that the environmental factors influenced more the behavior of the women affected by breast cancer in comparison to the women without the diagnosis. Most of the environmental factors mentioned in previous studies are the difficulty in accessing the public transport, the lack of an adequate facility in the neighborhood, climate, traffic, overwork and lack of safety, in which the current study also reported similar barriers to practice PA 5,[6][7][8][9][11][12][13][14]16,19,20,25,26,28,31,32 . The same occurred with the social factors, that affected the behavior of the diagnosed women more than the women without diagnosis.…”

“…Physical education programs should aim to clarify that exercise participation does not need to be of vigorous intensity, as walking and moderate intensity exercise have comparable benefits to intense activity (e.g. positive effects on cardiovascular disease and diabetes)[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] .…”

Environmental Influences on Physical Activity among Rural Adults in Montana, United States: Views from Built Environment Audits, Resident Focus Groups, and Key Informant Interviews

“…Objective aspects of the environment as well as individuals’ perceptions of their environment are likely to be important influences [ 17 ]. As rural communities are highly heterogeneous, factors influencing rural physical activity vary substantially across rural built environment studies, depending on the geographic and social contexts of the population being studied [ 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Given this, it is advantageous to use a variety of data sources to understand the various dimensions and support a more nuanced interpretation of barriers and facilitators.…”

Physical activity and masculinity in rural men: a qualitative study of men recruited from churches

“…In order to effectively promote Rural men, masculinity and physical activity PA among rural men, mechanisms to encourage PA should consider the intersections of masculinity and rurality, given that men's perceptions of masculinity are related to their health behaviors [7,38]. This may be particularly relevant in rural populations that have unique challenges to being physically active, including a scarcity of PA resources, dispersed populations and land use, and great geographic distances to town centers [39,40]. Additional qualitative and quantitative research can further our knowledge of sex differences related to PA engagement and outcomes in rural populations.…”