Effect of educational intervention on improvement of physical activities of middle-aged women

Abstract

Background Regular physical activity has important health benefits for women. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of theory-based educational interventions on the improvement of physical activities of middle-aged women. Methods This experimental study was conducted on 160 middle-aged women referred to Ahwaz health centers Iran in 2017 who were selected through the cluster sampling method. They were randomly divided into two groups: intervention (n = 80) and control (n = 80). The educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of 4 consultation and 4 follow-up sessions. The study outcomes included physical activity change, self-efficacy, decision-making balance, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, which were measured before the intervention and 2 months after that. The data were analyzed using the SPSS19 software as well as the Chi-square, independent t-test and paired t-test. Results After the intervention, the mean scores of preparedness for change, decision-making balance, perceived self-efficacy, pre-thinking, thinking, preparation, practice and maintenance were significantly different in both the experimental and control groups (P value < 0.05). The t-test showed that after the educational intervention, the mean score of physical activity was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (726.3 ± 201.6 and 339.8 ± 90.2, respectively) (P value < 0.001). Conclusion The findings of this study showed that the theory-based educational intervention was effective on the improvement of the middle-aged women’s physical activities. Therefore, it is suggested that a theory-based educational program be designed and implemented in order to increase the physical activities of this group.

A Qualitative Investigation of the Determinants Influencing Physical Activity Among Women in Ilam Town

“…Additionally, adhering to regular exercise aids these individuals in alleviating stress and anxiety (24). Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of educating women on physical activity as a means of increasing their own levels of engagement (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30). Nevertheless, it is imperative to identify the various factors that influence women's participation in physical activities due to their complex intersection with financial circumstances, employment status, environmental conditions, family dynamics, cultural norms and sub-culture values, systems, religious practices, educational background, and socio-demographic traits (17,26,(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43).…”