Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

Published on: October 6, 2016

Experiences engaging in a group-based physiotherapist-led exercise programme for adults living with HIV and complex

Tina S Homayouni¹, Alex Ruth¹, Zoe Abbott-Tate¹

¹Department of Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

|July 28, 2021

Abstract

Objective:

To explore experiences participating in a group-based physiotherapist (PT)-led exercise programme among people living with HIV and complex multimorbidity.

Design:

We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews.

Recruitment And Setting:

We recruited community-dwelling adults living with HIV who engaged in a group-based PT-led exercise programme within an HIV-specialty hospital in Toronto, Canada. Interviews were conducted in-person or by telephone.

Participants:

Eight men and two women with a median age of 58 years and median of six concurrent conditions in addition to HIV, who had attended ≥2 classes of the exercise programme.

Data Collection:

Interviews explored (1) reasons for engaging in the programme, (2) experiences with exercise prior to and after joining the programme, (3) facilitators and barriers to engagement and (4) perceived impacts of participation on health and disability. We administered the HIV Disability Questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire.

Results:

Experiences spanned perspectives prior to, during and after the PT-led exercise programme. Reasons for engaging in the programme included addressing health-related goals. Participants identified accessibility, the flexible schedule, interprofessional staff and the HIV-specific, group-based environment as facilitators to engagement. Participants reported high attendance rates, but identified episodic health challenges and overcrowded space as potential barriers to attending exercise classes. Perceived impacts on health and disability outcomes included improved physical, mental, social and cognitive health, and activities of daily living. Anticipated or actual experiences transitioning to independent exercise included facilitators (supportive programme leaders) and barriers (challenges motivatiing self to exercise alone).

Conclusions:

Features of the programme that facilitated engagement included the interprofessional, group-based environment that offered tailored exercise in an HIV-specific facility, whereby participants perceived benefits in domains of health and disability. However, challenges transitioning to independent exercise remain. Group-based PT-led exercise programmes may facilitate engagement in exercise among adults living with HIV and complex multimorbidity.

Keywords:

HIV exercise engagement group-based multimorbidity physiotherapist qualitative

More Related Videos

Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults

Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults

Published on: December 9, 2014

Adapted Resistance Training Improves Strength in Eight Weeks in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Adapted Resistance Training Improves Strength in Eight Weeks in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Published on: January 29, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Chest Physiotherapy

Chest Physiotherapy

Chest Physiotherapy (CPT) is a therapeutic technique used in respiratory care to improve ventilation, clear bronchial secretions, and enhance the efficiency of respiratory muscles. This therapy includes three primary procedures: postural drainage, percussion, and vibration. It can be performed on spontaneously breathing patients and those who are intubated and mechanically ventilated.
Purpose
CPT is primarily used for patients with excessive bronchial secretions who have difficulty clearing...

Peripheral Artery Disease III: Interprofessional Care

Peripheral Artery Disease III: Interprofessional Care

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is characterized by narrowed arteries that diminish blood flow to the extremities. Effective management of PAD requires an interprofessional approach involving various healthcare professionals. The critical aspects of interprofessional care for PAD patients focus on risk factor modification, drug therapy, exercise therapy, nutrition therapy, critical limb ischemia care, and interventional radiology and surgical procedures.The primary treatment goal for PAD...

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

The person's health status fluctuates continually, varying from being in good health to becoming ill and returning to being healthy. To understand the concept of illness prevention, there are two models. First, the health-illness continuum model is a graphic representation of an individual's wellness. It states that a person is considered healthy in the absence of physical disease and the presence of good emotional health.
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

COPD is defined as a heterogeneous lung condition marked by persistent respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, and sputum production, caused by abnormalities in the airways that cause airflow obstruction.
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I

A model is a theoretical way to understand a concept or an idea. Models can overcome barriers to health regardless of diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. In addition, models make the task easier by providing different ways to approach complex issues. There are two major health promotion models: the health belief model and the health promotion model.
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sarcopenic Obesity in People With HIV: Diagnostic Criteria and Classification-A Scoping Review With a Meta-Analysis of Prevalence.

Journal of obesity·2026

Battling the Bots and Defending Against Fraudulent Responses in an International Community-Engaged Web-Based Survey With People Living With Long COVID: Methodological Study.

Journal of medical Internet research·2026

Five-year disability trajectories and associated factors among adults aging with HIV in the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026

Using a co-design approach to develop aquatic reactive balance training for fall prevention.

PloS one·2026

Co-Designing Person- and Family-Centered Care for Older Adults Living With HIV: Protocol for a Community-Based Participatory Study.

JMIR research protocols·2026

Experiences With Technology Among Adults Aging With HIV Engaged in an Online Community-Based Exercise Intervention Study: Longitudinal Qualitative Descriptive Study and Secondary Data Analysis.

JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies·2026

See all related articles