Physical activity and other selected health promoting behaviours of university students living with HIV
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Southern Africa has the highest prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in the world. With a high prevalence of HIV, as well as a rising incidence of chronic diseases of lifestyle (CDLs), South Africa is faced with the dual burden of infectious diseases and CDLs. Health promoting behaviours (HPBs), including physical activity (PA), maintaining good nutrition and taking responsibility for personal health, play an important role in managing the symptoms of HIV infection and the side effects of antiretroviral (ARV) use. Additionally HPBs improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people living with HIV (PLWHIV). Furthermore, research indicates that HPBs should be encouraged among university students as they will become the future decision and policy makers in their places of employment. This study sought to determine the PA levels, HPBs and HRQOL of university students living with HIV, in order to better promote PA participation and HPBs in this population. Additionally, participants‘ perceptions of and attitudes towards exercise participation were investigated, as were barriers that mitigated against PA participation and HPBs. This study was exploratory-descriptive in nature and utilised a mixed methods design. The University Campus Health Clinic (CHC) staff recruited 29 HIV positive students (HIVPS) between the ages of 18 and 25 through purposive sampling. In the quantitative portion of the study the HIVPS completed a demographic questionnaire as well as three self-administered questionnaires, namely: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (version 2, HPLP-II) and the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Brief Questionnaire (WHOQOL-HIV- BREF) to determine PA levels, health-promoting lifestyle behaviours and HRQOL, respectively. Height and weight, as well as the most recent CD4 count were also recorded. xv The HIVPS (n = 29) had a mean CD4 count of 419 cells/mm³. A larger percentage of male HIVPS (50%) were sufficiently active compared with females (38%). The median total PA score was 2525.3 METmin/week for the group and they scored highest in the work domain and lowest in the transport domain, despite walking regularly to get from place to place. The quantitative results indicated that HIVPS were not sufficiently active with regards to their median total PA score. A positive but non-significant correlation was found between PA and CD4 count (r = 0.187). The HIVPS had above average HPBs and the results were similar to other studies on HIV positive persons, and university students in general. The HIVPS also had significantly better HRQOL scores than other PLWHIV from other studies. Qualitative data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews, in order to add meaning to the quantitative results. Fourteen HIVPS volunteered to be interviewed. The qualitative results indicate that the HIVPS had a positive attitude towards exercise, even though they were not sufficiently physically active themselves. They acknowledged the importance of exercise for everybody, irrespective of HIV status, and were knowledgeable about the many health benefits of exercise. Most of the HIVPS who did not exercise at the time of participating in the study were contemplating or preparing to do so in the future and many also cited that they would encourage other people living with HIV to exercise as a means to improve their health. The HIVPS identified both personal and environmental barriers which limited their participation in regular exercise. The personal barriers included: the lack of time, academic responsibilities, a lack of finances, lack of knowledge, feeling too tired or fatigued, laziness and time since diagnosis. The environmental barriers identified included: the change in environment, which was as result of leaving their family home and moving to another city to complete their university education; as well as distance to facilities and safety aspects. HIVPS need to engage in more leisure time PA to enhance improvements in overall health and quality of life. While the HIVPS indicated their intention to be more physically active, intervention programmes need to be put in place to assist these xvi students in overcoming the barriers to participation. In order to address some of the identified barriers, Biokineticists, who are specifically qualified to prescribe exercise programmes for people with health risks, and who are currently not part of the primary health care system, should become more involved in the care of such persons. Due to the small sample size, more research needs to be conducted in this field, as no other studies were found that addressed PA levels or health-promoting behaviours among HIVPS in South Africa.
Author: Kock, Sue-Anne Claire
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2795238666