DESIGNING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN AGED 50+: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PARTICIPANT PERSPECTIVES

G. Wallbank¹, A. Haynes¹, A. Tiedemann¹, C. Sherrington¹, A. Grunseit²

¹The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney, Australia, ²The University of Sydney, Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney, Australia

Background: Regular physical activity has physical and mental health benefits, particularly if commenced in earlier life. Women in their middle-age years are often juggling carer and work responsibilities, have chronic health conditions and are mostly sedentary, and therefore need support to adopt and sustain PA. The Active Women over 50 randomised controlled trial (n=126) tested a scalable program for increasing physical activity among female university and health service employees aged 50+. The ‘low-dose’ program included information on the benefits of physical activity, an activity tracker and email prompts and encouragement, and the program was associated with significantly increased self-reported vigorous physical activity time and a non-significantly increase in the proportion achieving 300 mins/week of moderate-vigorous physical activity.

Purpose: This study sought to analyse the perspectives of participants on physical activity in general and the Active Women over 50 program optimise the design of physical activity interventions for this demographic.

Methods: Women who completed the Active Women over 50 trial were purposively recruited for maximum variation in age, employment, carer responsibility, medical conditions and physical activity. Individual semi-structured interviews explored their perspectives on physical activity, program components and suggestions for future iterations of Active Women over 50. Data were analysed thematically.

Results: Participants’ capacity to be physically active was shaped by an interplay of several factors. Our analysis generated four main themes relating to physical activity in general and to the program: Age and gender matters, Physical activity is social, Strategising for physical activity and the Self-responsibility discourse. Taking these themes together it seems at this midlife stage, physical activity and program participation was challenged by personal, life-stage, and cultural factors and the tension between those factors and a self-responsibility discourse. Social support and finding a suitable strategy for generating and sustaining motivation were deemed integral aspects of being active. Future programs could consider the facilitation of social networks and accountability, life-stage health information and positive framing to support women's agency in being active.

Conclusions: Challenges described by participants operate at the individual, social and systemic levels. A range of strategies is key to supporting women over 50 to be more physically active reflecting the variety of circumstances and levels of agency experienced. We offer suggestions that do not need to be resource-intensive but could be incorporated into a scaled program.

Implications: Physical activity programs for women aged 50+ need to adopt an integrative approach to promote physical activity as part of overall health and life. Programs could address the diversity of individual circumstances and motivators for physical activity by offering a range of flexible physical activity strategies and options, facilitating physical activity social networks, and building in accountability and feedback for being active. Contextual factors and the self-responsibility discourse implies program framing is critical to support women and engage them to take responsibility that avoids self-blame.

Funding acknowledgements: Sydney University Musculoskeletal Health Sydney Collaborative Research Scheme, Robinson Fellowship; NSW Ministry of Health Prevention Research Support Program.

Keywords:
Middle-age women
Intervention trial
Qualitative methods

Topics:
Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Sydney Local Health District Research Ethics and Governance Office

Committee: Ethics Review Committee

Ethics number: X17-0316 & LNR/17/RPAH/473