Physical Activity Among Rural Men: Barriers and Preferences

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Gallagher, Jacob ; Bayman, Emine O. ; Cadmus-Bertram, Lisa A. ; Jenkins, Nathaniel D.M. ; Pearlman, Amy ; Whitaker, Kara M. ; Carr, Lucas J.
• Description:
  Introduction ; Physical activity positively affects health. Although 94% of Americans know the health benefits of regular physical activity, more than 75% do not achieve recommended levels. The objective of our study was to identify and define the key components of a physical activity intervention tailored to rural American men. ; Methods ; We recruited rural men (N = 447) via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk online platform to complete a needs assessment survey focused on their interest in a physical activity intervention, preferred intervention features, and potential intervention objectives. Data were summarized by using descriptive statistics. A cumulative logistic regression model examined associations between the men’s perceived importance of physical activity to health and their interest in a physical activity intervention. ; Results ; Almost all participants (97.7%) rated physical activity as “at least somewhat important” to their health, and 83.9% indicated they would be “at least somewhat interested” in participating in a physical activity intervention. On a scale of 1 (not at all a barrier) to 5 (very much a barrier), motivation (mean 3.4; 95% CI, 3.3–3.5), cold weather (mean, 3.4; 95% CI, 3.3–3.5), and tiredness (mean, 3.3; 95% CI, 3.2–3.4) were rated the biggest barriers to physical activity. Becoming fitter (54.1%) was the top reason for joining a physical activity program. Preferred delivery channels for receiving an intervention were mobile application (ranked from 1 being the most preferred and 9 being the least preferred: mean, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.70–3.09) and e-mail (mean, 4.2; 95% CI, 3.92–4.36). Rural men preferred interventions that taught them how to exercise and that could be done from home. ; Conclusion ; Our findings suggest US men in rural areas are receptive to physical activity programs. A systematic approach and a clear model of development are needed to tailor future physical activity interventions to the special needs of rural men.
• Subjects:
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Exercise
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 2023; 20
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd20.230046
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Pubmed ID:
  37797290
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10557978
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Volume:
  20
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/151117/cdc_151117_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 524.27 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e647335004cfa09b37f38f36eccb9bc35178694003a8f50ff9e935cdbc9c36023e06d3a499fefd9b26e98c3ab0fc13587111499edfe2564f2958ce1faa51d8ab