Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity, and Psychological Health of Korean Older Adults with Hypertension: Effect of an Empowerment Intervention

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an 8-week empowerment intervention on sedentary behavior, physical activity, and psychological health in Korean older adults with hypertension. Using a quasi-experimental design, older adults participated in either an experimental group (n = 27) or control group (n = 21). The experimental group received an empowerment intervention including lifestyle modification education, group discussion, and exercise training for 8 weeks, and the control group received standard hypertension education. After 8 weeks, participants in the experimental group had significantly decreased sedentary behavior, increased physical activity, increased self-efficacy for physical activity, and increased perceived health (p < 0.05). However, no significant group difference was found for depression. Findings from this study suggest that empowerment interventions may be more effective than standard education in decreasing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity, self-efficacy for physical activity, and perceived health in Korean older adults with hypertension.

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an intervention to reduce older adults’ sedentary behavior

“…In the week following program delivery, participants in the intervention group reduced total and weekday sedentary behavior by approximately 837 min/week and 132 min/ weekday, respectively. This preliminary effect was larger than prior sedentary behavior interventions with older adults using self-reported measures of behavior [5][6][7].…”

“…Intervention content focused on disrupting sedentary behavior habits (i.e., an automatic process) via action planning in addition to enhancing self-efficacy, intentions, and plans to limit sedentary behavior via educational content, practicing interrupting sedentary behavior, and developing action plans (i.e., reflective processes). Previous interventions have relied on determinants of physical activity, primarily reflective motivational determinants, to develop intervention content [5,6,8]. The intervention effects in this study may be the result of increased emphasis on targeting and disrupting the automatic motivational processes (e.g., habits) that maintain older adults' sedentary behavior.…”

“…Interventions have been successful in reducing older adults' sedentary behavior (e.g., 9 to 76 min/day via self-reported behavior; 24 to 35 min/day via objectively measured behavior) [5][6][7][8][9]. These interventions typically require interventionists with specialized training, behavioral feedback from expensive activity monitors that are not commercially available, expensive individual behavior coaching, or extensive group counseling.…”

Predictors of Sedentary Behavior in Elderly Koreans With Hypertension

“…Empowerment theory is one effective theoretical approach for sedentary behavior interventions (Chang, Fritschi, & Kim, 2013). According to this theory, increased self-efficacy, social support, and empowerment influence the behavior of a subject with regard to becoming healthier (Falk-Rafael, 2001).…”

“…According to this theory, increased self-efficacy, social support, and empowerment influence the behavior of a subject with regard to becoming healthier (Falk-Rafael, 2001). Previous studies have shown that intervention programs that applied empowerment theory decrease the sedentary behavior of elderly persons with HTN (Chang et al, 2013). In addition, depressive symptoms have been found to be associated with sedentary behavior (Teychenne, Ball, & Salmon, 2010).…”