IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i21p11222-d664809.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Healthcare Professionals’ Application and Integration of Physical Activity in Routine Practice with Older Adults: A Qualitative Study

Author

Listed:
  • Conor Cunningham

    (Institute of Public Health, Belfast BT1 4JH, UK)

  • Roger O’Sullivan

    (Institute of Public Health, Belfast BT1 4JH, UK
    Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Ulster University, Belfast BT37 0QB, UK)

Abstract

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a key role in promoting physical activity, particularly among populations at greatest risk of poor health due to physical inactivity. This research explored HCPs’ knowledge, decision making, and routine practice of physical activity promotion with older adults. Furthermore, it aimed to enhance our understanding of the supports that HCPs need to effectively promote physical activity in routine practice across a wide range of healthcare professions, settings, and sectors. Semi-structured online interviews were completed with HCPs between November 2020–March 2021. Data were first analysed by coding instances within the transcripts, mapping onto relevant Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) domains utilising a deductive thematic analysis approach. The data were then analysed utilising an inductive approach to thematically generate explanatory subthemes within the identified domains. Participants ( n = 63) included general practitioners (15.87%), occupational therapists (30.16%), physiotherapists (38.10%), and nurses (15.87%) from the island of Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland). Of those interviewed, 10 (15.87%) were male and 53 (84.13%) were female. Two thirds (65.08%) were HCPs practicing in Ireland. Domains and subthemes related to the application of physical activity, and emergent themes on developing practice to support the application and integration of physical activity in routine practice are discussed. HCPs identified that focused education, appropriate training, and access to tailored resources are all essential to support the promotion of physical activity in routine practice. For such supports to be effective, a ‘cultural shift’ is required in HCP training and health service provision to adopt the growing evidence base that physical activity promotion must be part of disease prevention and treatment in routine practice. HCPs highlighted a range of areas for service development to support them to promote physical activity. Further research is required to explore the feasibility of implementing these recommendations in routine practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Conor Cunningham & Roger O’Sullivan, 2021. "Healthcare Professionals’ Application and Integration of Physical Activity in Routine Practice with Older Adults: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11222-:d:664809
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11222/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11222/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Conor Cunningham & Roger O’Sullivan, 2021. "Healthcare Professionals Promotion of Physical Activity with Older Adults: A Survey of Knowledge and Routine Practice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-13, June.
    2. Romeu Mendes & Marlene Nunes Silva & Catarina Santos Silva & Adilson Marques & Cristina Godinho & Rita Tomás & Marcos Agostinho & Sara Madeira & Alexandre Rebelo-Marques & Henrique Martins & Pedro J. , 2020. "Physical Activity Promotion Tools in the Portuguese Primary Health Care: An Implementation Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-11, January.
    3. Jake Netherway & Brett Smith & Javier Monforte, 2021. "Training Healthcare Professionals on How to Promote Physical Activity in the UK: A Scoping Review of Current Trends and Future Opportunities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-16, June.
    4. Hélène Payette & N'Deye Rokhaya Gueye & Pierrette Gaudreau & José A. Morais & Bryna Shatenstein & Katherine Gray-Donald, 2011. "Trajectories of Physical Function Decline and Psychological Functioning: The Québec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging (NuAge)," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 66(suppl_1), pages 82-90.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. José Moral de la Rubia & Adrian Valle de la O & Cirilo H. García Cadena & Luis A. Pérez Góngora, 2014. "Effect of Tai Chi Practice on Stress, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Life Expectancy and a Structural Model of Relation Among These Variables Taking Into Account Age," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(4), pages 21582440145, October.
    2. Samuel Gonçalves Almeida da Encarnação & Pedro Flores & David Magalhães & Gil Afonso & Albino Pereira & Rui Brito Fonseca & Joana Ribeiro & Sandra Silva-Santos & José Eduardo Teixeira & António Miguel, 2022. "The Influence of Abdominal Adiposity and Physical Fitness on Obesity Status of Portuguese Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-11, September.
    3. Andra Muhu & Henri Tilga, 2023. "Strength Training Habits and Awareness of Its Recommendations among 18–63-Year-Old Adults," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    4. French, Robert & Steele, Fiona, 2015. "Trajectories of functional disability for the elderly in Britain," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64899, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Keuntae Kim & Hyemi Kim, 2022. "Handgrip Strength and Cognitive Function among Elderly Koreans: Insights from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-14, April.
    6. Beatrice Lepri & Daniele Romani & Lorenzo Storari & Valerio Barbari, 2023. "Effectiveness of Pain Neuroscience Education in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Central Sensitization: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-48, February.
    7. Conor Cunningham & Roger O’Sullivan, 2021. "Healthcare Professionals Promotion of Physical Activity with Older Adults: A Survey of Knowledge and Routine Practice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-13, June.
    8. Genevieve S. E. Smith & Wendy Moyle & Nicola W. Burton, 2023. "The Relationship between Social Support for Physical Activity and Physical Activity across Nine Years in Adults Aged 60–65 Years at Baseline," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11222-:d:664809. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.