Enablers and barriers to exercise uptake by women during middle age: a grounded theory approach

Physical inactivity is well documented as being a key component in many major diseases and illnesses of middle age. Finding a way to be fit and healthy is not easy and it is through running a specialised Personal training business for this age group that this study was initially formulated as a way to inform and improve practice. The study looked to identify enablers and barriers to exercise uptake in women aged 40-60 and to identify any influence governmental health messaging might have in a health behaviour change process. Although other studies were identified looking to find such determinants, there was no work found on a sample that would be typical of the practice’s client base. The study is qualitative using a grounded theory approach. Nine women, exercisers and non-exercisers were interviewed using a semi-structured framework. Open, axial and selective coding was then applied to the data as interviews were done in blocks of three, three, two and one, after which saturation was reached. The main determinants identified as both enablers and barriers were ‘significant others influence’, ‘health/scare’ and ‘opportunity’. Results showed an overall agreement of determinants with previous studies and the enablers and barriers found were appropriate to a middle aged population. It was recognised that as data was abstracted useful information was lost. One effect of such a process was observed in the poor knowledge amongst participants of governmental health messaging. Policymaking is developed from generically abstracted themes, with the result being participants believing messages weren’t meant for them but for another demographic. The recommendations that come from this study encourage a shift to more specialised, focused messaging and to train more specialised, focused fitness professionals to work with this group.