Rec-Connect™: A Physical Activity Demonstration Playbook: Qualitative Insights on Multi-Level Behavior Change Impacts...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Community Health

Background:

• Community-based physical activity (PA) interventions are crucial for improving health in diverse populations.
• Under-resourced communities often face barriers to accessing and sustaining PA programs.
• Understanding the perceived impact of such interventions is vital for program refinement and scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the perceived impact of a 6-week community-based physical activity (PA) intervention on adult participants' PA knowledge and behaviors.
• To explore how social connections and educator roles influence PA adoption and maintenance.
• To identify multi-level behavior change outcomes resulting from the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative case study design was employed in under-resourced Michigan communities.
• Semi-structured focus groups (n=3, 26 participants) and pre-post surveys were used for data collection.
• Hybrid analysis combined thematic analysis of transcripts with descriptive statistics from surveys.

Main Results:

• Three primary themes emerged: 1) leveraged social connections promoted PA outside of structured sessions, 2) educators significantly influenced attitudes towards and time spent in PA, and 3) multi-level impacts (socio-emotional-physical) were achieved.
• Participants reported increased PA knowledge and positive behavioral changes.
• The intervention fostered positive socio-emotional connections between educators and peers.

Conclusions:

• The community-based PA intervention demonstrated multi-level positive impacts on adult participants.
• Socio-emotional connections fostered within the program positively influenced participants' attitudes towards and engagement in PA.
• Community-based PA programs, emphasizing social support and effective educators, can drive significant behavior change.