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"Are Your Clients Having Fun?" The Implications of Respondents' Preferences for the Delivery of Group Exercise
Lucy McPhate1, Emily M Simek, Terry P Haines
1Physiotherapy Department, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia.
Background:
Group exercise has been shown to be effective in preventing falls; however, adherence to these interventions is often poor. Older adults' preferences for how these programs can be delivered are unknown.
Objective:
To identify older people's preferences for how group exercise programs for falls prevention can be delivered.
Design:
A two-wave, cross-sectional, state-wide telephone survey was undertaken. Respondents were community-dwelling men and women aged 70+ in Victoria, Australia.
Methods:
Open-ended questions were asked to elicit information regarding respondent preferences of the program, which were analyzed using a framework approach.
Results:
Ninety-seven respondents completed the follow-up survey. The results indicate that older adults most frequently report the short-term advantages and disadvantages when describing their preferences for group exercise, such as enjoyment, social interaction, and leader qualities. Longer-term advantages such as falls prevention were described less frequently.
Conclusions:
This study indicates the importance of interpersonal skills, and that the opportunity for social interaction should not be overlooked as a positive feature of a group exercise program.
