Effect of an intervention based on socio-ecological model in promoting physical activity of female employees

Abstract

Although active life style is one of the main determining factors of health, the level of regular physical activities in women is less than in men and even this level decreases with aging. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an intervention based on the social ecological model on promotion of physical activity among female employees. In this study, 160 women employed at Shabestar universities were selected, and randomly divided into two groups of control (n=80) and intervention (n=80). The intervention group received an instructional program according to the model, including one session for general instruction and four sessions for group discussion along with daily walking for 30 minutes within 8 weeks. In order to objectively measure the physical activity, the pedometer was used and to measure the perceived physical activity, the long form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was applied. The variables related to the components of socio-ecological model were measured using the socio-ecological model questionnaire. A significant difference was found between two groups after the intervention in terms of That is, the average number of steps in walking in the intervention group increased significantly (from 4204 to 7882 steps per day), while it did not significantly increase in the control group. Thus, it can be argued that designing and implementing the interventional programs based on the socioecological model can promote physical activity behavior among employed women.

Improving Physical Fitness and Health of Office Workers in Iran

“…Consistent with our findings, a study by Fleury and Lee (2006) on the physical activity of African American women using the Social Ecological Model, showed that individuals’ access to sports facilities and environmental resources made it easier for the women to be physically active, and improved their overall physical activity level. A study conducted by Gargari and colleagues (2018) on the use of the Social Ecological Model to develop interventions to promote the physical activity of female employees in Iran, showed that after 8 weeks of intervention, based on the model, the number of daily steps by the employees in the intervention group increased from 4204 to 7882. The total physical activity of the intervention group also increased as compared to the control group.…”

The Effect of Local-indigenous Games and Neuro-muscular Exercises on Static and Dynamic Balance in Obese Children

“…Consistent repetition and continuation of such stimulation promote new learning, resulting in an enhanced mutual influence of the brain and nervous system [17][18][19][20][21][22]. This ultimately leads to improvements in both the quantity and quality of behavioral responses from the nervous system [25]. These results are consistent with the previous research which investigated the effects of LIG on physical fitness factors among students [19,21,22].…”