Perceived barriers and enablers to participation in a community-tailored physical activity program with Indigenous Australians in a regional and rural setting: a qualitative study

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

Ashleigh Sushames¹  Terry Engelberg²  Klaus Gebel³ 

[1] Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia;Department of Psychology and Sport and Exercise Science, College of Healthcare Sciences, Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia;School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, NSW, Australia;Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia;Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia;

关键词: Indigenous;    Physical activity;    Intervention;    Chronic disease;    Australia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-017-0664-1

 received in 2017-07-24, accepted in 2017-08-30,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have higher rates of chronic disease and a lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous Australians. In non-urban areas these health disparities are even larger. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore perceived barriers and enablers to attending an eight-week physical activity program in a rural and regional setting which aimed to improve health outcomes, but had a low attendance rate.MethodsThirty-four Indigenous Australians participated in the intervention from the rural (n = 12) and the regional (n = 22) community. Qualitative semi-structured individual interviews were conducted at the follow-up health assessments with 12 participants. A thematic network analysis was undertaken to examine the barriers and enablers to participation in the program.ResultsOverall, there were positive attitudes to, and high levels of motivation towards, the physical activity program. Enablers to participation were the inclusion of family members, no financial cost and a good relationship with the principal investigator, which was strengthened by the community-based participatory approach to the program design. Barriers to program attendance were mostly beyond the control of the individuals, such as ‘sorry business’, needing to travel away from the community and lack of community infrastructure.ConclusionsMore consideration is needed prior to implementation of programs to understand how community-specific barriers and enablers will affect attendance to the program.Trial registrationACTRN12616000497404. Registered 18 April 2016.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017