Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Thursday, July 22, 2004
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Predictors of Physical Activity Among Midlife and Older Rural Women
Susan Noble Walker, EdD, RN, FAAN1, Carol H. Pullen, EdD, RN1, Patricia A. Hageman, PT, PhD2, Linda S. Boeckner, PhD, RD3, and Maureen K. Oberdorfer, MPA, BSMT1. (1) College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA, (2) Division of Physical Therapy Education, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA, (3) University of Nebraska Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff, NE, USA
| Learning Objective #1: n/a |
| Learning Objective #2: n/a |
Objective: Sedentary lifestyle is a leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in older women. The purpose was to determine the extent to which personal factors and behavior-specific cognitions and affect explain physical activity among midlife and older rural women . Design: Descriptive correlational design. Population, Sample, Setting, Years: 225 rural women aged 50-69 enrolled in an NIH-funded lifestyle behavior change project in 2002-2003. Concept or Variables Studied Together: Behavioral determinants were personal factors (age, readiness to change, health status) and behavior-specific cognitions and affect (perceived benefits, barriers, self-efficacy, activity-related affect, family & peer interpersonal support) selected from Pender’s Health Promotion Model. Behavior was moderate physical activity as recommended in the Healthy People 2010 Objectives. Methods: At two rural sites in the midwestern U.S., women were supervised in completing established reliable and valid questionaires in individual sessions on a computer. Activity was measured by the 7-Day Activity Recall and Rockport 1-minute walk. Baseline data prior to receiving the behavior change intervention is reported. Findings: Weekly hours of physical activity, daily energy expended and estimated VO2max were used as 3 separate criterion variables in hierarchical regression analyses. Personal factors were entered first and behavior-specific cognitions and affect variables were entered second. All variables explained from 11% to 34% of variance in physical activity behaviors. Determinant variables that made an independent contribution to the explanation of one or more indicators of activity were age, readiness to change, perceived health status, functional status, benefits, family support and activity-related affect (Bs from .14 to .28). Perceived barriers, self-efficacy and friend support made no independent contributions. Conclusions and Implications: Both personal factors and behavior-specific cognitions and affect influenced rural midlife and older women’s physical activity. These variables will be used in designing tailored physical activity lifestyle change messages for these women throughout the intervention project.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
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