Abstract
BackgroundRegular 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.MethodsThis 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.ResultsAfter 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).ConclusionThe 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.
Highlights
Regular physical activity has important health benefits for women
The independent t-test was used to determine the difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of age, and the results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (P value = 0.15)
The results of the paired t-test showed that the mean scores of preparedness for change, decision-making balance, perceived self-efficacy and change stages before and after the educational intervention in the control group were not significantly different (P value > 0.05) (Table 2)
Summary
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. The global estimate of the rate of immobility among the people over the age of 18 was about 23% in 2010 It was 20% among men and 27% among women. Immobility is seen in the Eastern Mediterranean region more than any other area in the world, such that more than one-third of the men and almost half of the women in this region are physically inactive [4]. All countries in the world are addressing all community groups in the pursuit of health, but among these groups, women, especially middle-aged ones, are of particular importance because they are in conditions that play important roles both in terms of occupational and social responsibilities, and emotions in the center of families. Helping to improve the general health of women in this age group is a kind of help and service to families and societies [10]
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