Work

Exercise Referral Instructors’ Perspectives on Supporting and Motivating Participants to Uptake, Attend and Adhere to Exercise Prescription: A Qualitative Study

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Exercise referral schemes are designed to support people with non-communicable diseases to increase their levels of exercise to improve health. However, uptake and attendance are low. This exploratory qualitative study aims to understand uptake and attendance from the perspectives of exercise referral instructors using semi-structured interviews. Six exercise referral instructors from one exercise referral scheme across four exercise referral sites were interviewed. Four themes emerged: (i) the role that instructors perceive they have and approaches instructors take to motivate participants to take-up, attend exercise referral and adhere to their exercise prescription; (ii) instructors' use of different techniques, which could help elicit behaviour change; (iii) instructors' perceptions of participants' views of exercise referral schemes; and (iv) barriers towards providing an exercise referral scheme. Exercise referral instructors play an important, multifaceted role in the uptake, attendance and adherence to exercise referral. On-going education and peer support for instructors may be useful. Instructors' perspectives help us to further understand how health and leisure services can design successful exercise referral schemes.

Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010203

Authors: Colin B. Shore, Stuart D. R. Galloway, Trish Gorely, Angus M. Hunter, Gill Hubbard

Institutions: University of Stirling, University of Surrey, University of the Highlands and Islands, Nottingham Trent University

Language: English

Topic: Physical Activity and Health

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,484