Abstract
Whilst there is considerable evidence to support the efficacy of physical activity and dietary interventions in disease and death prevention, translation of knowledge into practice remains inadequate. We aimed to examine the uptake, retention, acceptability and effectiveness on physical activity, physical function, sitting time, diet and health outcomes of a Healthy Eating Activity and Lifestyle program (HEALTM) delivered under real-world conditions. The program was delivered to 430 adults living across rural South Australia. Participants of the program attended weekly 2 h healthy lifestyle education and exercise group-based sessions for 8 weeks. A total of 47 programs were delivered in over 15 communities. In total, 548 referrals were received, resulting in 430 participants receiving the intervention (78% uptake). At baseline, 74.6% of participants were female, the mean age of participants was 53.7 years and 11.1% of participants identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Follow-up assessments were obtained for 265 participants. Significant improvements were observed for walking, planned physical activity, incidental physical activity, total physical activity, 30 s chair stand, 30 s arm curl, 6 min walk, fruit consumption and vegetable consumption, sitting time and diastolic blood pressure. Positive satisfaction and favourable feedback were reported. The healthy lifestyle program achieved excellent real-world uptake and effectiveness, reasonable intervention attendance and strong program acceptability amongst rural and vulnerable communities.
Highlights
Poor diet and insufficient physical activity are leading modifiable causes of death and disease [1]. They increase the risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancers, depression and anxiety, leading to premature death and reduced quality of life, and massive economic and healthcare burden [2]
International evidence consistently shows that physical inactivity and poor dietary patterns disproportionately affect people residing in rural areas, and those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged [5,6,7,8]
People living in rural areas experience poorer health outcomes in comparison to those living in metropolitan areas due to skills shortages and high turnover of healthcare staff, reduced access to and use of preventative health services, as well as disparities in employment, income and education [9]
Summary
Poor diet and insufficient physical activity are leading modifiable causes of death and disease [1]. They increase the risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancers, depression and anxiety, leading to premature death and reduced quality of life, and massive economic and healthcare burden [2]. Indigenous people tend to have poorer lifestyles and experience worse health outcomes than non-first nation counterparts including an increased risk of chronic disease such as diabetes and shortened life expectancy [10,11,12]. There is an urgent need for effective programs to better support people residing in rural areas and high-risk groups to adopt healthier lifestyles
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