Archives
Exercise and Older Women's Wellbeing
Pamela Martin
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Victoria University, St Albans Campus, Melbourne VIC
Terence V McCann
Professor of Nursing Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Victoria Institute of Health & Diversity, Victoria University, Melbourne VIC
Abstract
Older women are one of the most inactive groups in the population despite being at an age where they are at greater risk of health problems. Knowing what influences these women to exercise regularly may help the development of strategies to assist sedentary women in this age group to become active.
This paper reports the findings of a study that explored why a group of older women attending a fitness centre participate in regular exercise activities. The study used a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. Data were collected using in-depth interviews from ten women over 50 years of age who exercised on a regular basis.
The findings revealed four themes relating to the maintenance of general wellbeing: exercise as a socially supportive activity, exercising to maintain wellbeing, exercising to maintain independence, and exercise as liberating. The implications of the findings for nursing education, clinical practice and research are discussed.
Keywords
older women, exercise, wellbeing, qualitative, nursing
References
Anspaugh DJ, Hamrick MH and Rosata FD (1991) Wellness: Concepts and Applications. Mosby Year Book, St Louis.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2004a) Physical Activity, Diet and Body Weight: Results from the 2001 National Health Survey. Retrieved 18 July 2005 http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10005
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2004b) Australia's Health 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2005 http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/aus/ah04/ah04-050222.pdf
Bauman A, Bellew B, Vita P, Brown W and Owen N (2002) Getting Australia active. National Public Health Partnership. Melbourne, Australia
Bauman A, Armstrong T, Davies J, Owen N, Brown W, Bellew B and Vita P (2003) Trends in physical activity participation and the impact of integrated campaigns among Australian adults, 1997-99. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 27(1): 76-9.
Beaumont L (2002 December 8) Belles' Beach More girls crave the wave. Sunday Age, p.3.
Campbell PG, MacAuley D, McCrum E and Evans A (2001) Age differences in the motivating factors for exercise. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology 23: 191-199.
Chenitz WC and Swanson JM (1986) From practice to grounded theory. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company: Sydney.
Denzin NK (1989) The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods 3rd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Dishman RK (1994) Motivating older adults to exercise. Southern Medical Journal 87(5): S79-82.
Germov J (ed) (1999) Second opinion: An introduction to health sociology. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hamer M, Karageorghis CI and Vlachopoulos SP (2002) Motives for exercise participation as predictors of exercise dependence among endurance athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 42: 233-238.
Holloway I and Wheeler S (1996) Qualitative research for nurses. Blackwell Science, Oxford.
Knox CC (2000) The effect of specialised programming on the exercise adherence of corporate executives. Victoria University, Melbourne.
Knox D (1999 June 23) The work out. West Australian Health and Medicine p.7.
Kozier B, Erb G, Blais K and Wilkinson JM (1998) Fundamentals of nursing concepts, process and practice 5th edn. Addison-Wesley, Sydney.
Lewis B (1999) Motherhood and physical activity. VICFIT Notes. Victoria Council on Fitness and General Health Summer Edition, p.6.
Lincoln YS and Guba EG (1985) Naturalistic inquiry. Sage, Newbury Park, California.
Linder JK and Kerr JH (2000) Metamotivational orientations in sport participants and non-participants. Psychology of Sport and Exercise 1: 7-25.
Litt MD, Kleppinger A and Judge JO (2002) Initiation and maintenance of exercise behaviour in older women: Predictors from the social learning model. Journal of Behavioural Medicine 23(1): 84-97.
Marcus BH and Simkin LR (1993) The stages of exercise behaviour. Journal of Sports Medicine & Fitness 33: 83-88.
McAurley E (1992) The role of efficacy cognitions in the prediction of exercise behaviour in middle-aged adults. Journal of Behavioural Medicine 15: 65-88.
McAurley E (1993) Self-efficacy and the maintenance of exercise behaviour in middle-aged adults. Journal of Behavioural Medicine 16: 103-113.
Minor MA and Brown JD (1993) Exercise maintenance of persons with arthritis after participation in a class experience. Health Education 20: 83-85.
National Heart Foundation (2004) Chronic Illness: Australia's Health Challenge - The Economic Case for Physical Activity and Nutrition in the Prevention of Chronic Disease.
Nolan A and Hazelton L (1998) The practising nurse. Harcourt Brace & Company, Sydney.
O'Brien Cousins S (2001) Thinking out loud: What older adults say about triggers for physical activity. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 9: 347-363.
Olshansky E (2000) Integrated women's health: Holistic approaches for comprehensive care. Aspen, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Porth CM (1998) Pathophysiology Concepts of altered health states 5th edn. Lippincott, New York.
Prochaska JO and DiClemente CC (1983) Stages and processes of self change in smoking: Towards an integrative model of change. Clinical Psychology 51: 390-395.
Pursley-Crotteau S, McGuire Bunting S and Burke Draucker C (2001) Grounder theory and hermeneutics: Contradictory or complimentary methods of nursing research? In Schreiber RS and Stern PN (eds) Using grounded theory in nursing, pp.191-209. Springer, New York.
Rhodes RE, Martin AD, Taunton JE, Rhodes EC, Donnelly M, Warren J and Elliot J (1999) Factors associated with exercise adherence among older adults. An individual perspective. Journal of Sports Medicine 28: 397-411.
Schreiber RS and Stern PN (2001) Introduction. In Schreiber RS and Stern PN (eds) Using grounded theory in nursing, pp.xvi-xviii. Springer, New York.
Smith CL and Storandt M (1997) Physical activity participation in older adults: A comparison of competitors, non-competitors, and non-exercisers. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 5: 98-110.
Speck BJ and Harrell JS (2003) Maintaining regular physical activity in women: Evidence to date. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 18(4): 282-91.
Start to Finish Events (2004) The Age Run to the G (Pamphlet). Retrieved 10 April 2004 www.ausrun.com.au.
Strauss A and Corbin J (1998) Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, California.
Streubert HJ and Carpenter DR (1995) Qualitative research in nursing, advancing the humanistic imperative. Lippincott, Philadelphia.
Whaley DE (2003) Future-oriented self-perceptions and exercise behaviour in middle-aged women. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 11: 1-17.
Wilbur J, Vassalo A, Chandler P, McDevitt J and Miller AM (2005) Midlife women's adherence to home-based walking during maintenance. Nursing Research 54(1): 33-40.
Wolff I, van Croonenborg JJ, Kemper HC, Kostense PJ and Twisk JW (1999) The effect of exercise training programs on bone mass: A meta-analysis of published controlled trials in pre- and postmenopausal women. Osteoporosis 9: 1-12.
Zohar A (ed) (2002) The Jean Hailes Foundation creating healthier futures for women through exercise. [Online] Available http://www.jeanhailes.org.au [6 April 2003].
eContent Home