Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, Australia.
Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 1;18(3):1308. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18031308.
In many countries, rural residents have lower life expectancies and poorer health outcomes than urban residents. Adults living in rural Australia have lower physical activity levels than major city counterparts, contributing to this observed health disparity. As physical activity interventions in rural populations have shown minimal success, there is an urgent need for innovative and affordable interventions that facilitate active lifestyles in this vulnerable population. This study assessed the feasibility of physical activity-focused motivational interviewing, delivered by university health sciences undergraduates in a rural Australian region. "Health age" was assessed at baseline ( = 62) from physiological and behavioral measures, immediately followed by the motivational interview, with health age again assessed at 8 weeks follow-up. Mixed methods using a questionnaire ( = 41 at both time points) and one-on-one interview ( = 8) identified aspects of intervention acceptability and feasibility. A large majority rated the motivational interview as meaningful (98%), empathetic (96%), autonomy-focused (88%), and likely to lead to sustained behavior change (98%). Interviews highlighted several potential attitudinal and structural factors that might influence long-term behavior change. Further development of this strategy in rural regions will depend on a deeper understanding of individuals' and communities' awareness, attitudes, and beliefs in relation to active lifestyles.
在许多国家，农村居民的预期寿命和健康状况比城市居民差。澳大利亚农村地区的成年人比主要城市地区的成年人体力活动水平低，这导致了这种观察到的健康差距。由于针对农村人口的体力活动干预措施收效甚微，因此迫切需要创新和负担得起的干预措施，以促进这一脆弱人群的积极生活方式。本研究评估了在澳大利亚农村地区由大学生健康科学专业学生进行以体力活动为重点的动机性访谈的可行性。“健康年龄”在基线时（ = 62）通过生理和行为测量进行评估，紧接着进行动机性访谈，在 8 周随访时再次评估健康年龄。使用问卷（ = 41 在两个时间点）和一对一访谈（ = 8）的混合方法确定了干预的可接受性和可行性方面。绝大多数人认为动机性访谈有意义（98%）、有同理心（96%）、关注自主权（88%），并可能导致持续的行为改变（98%）。访谈强调了一些可能影响长期行为改变的态度和结构因素。要在农村地区进一步发展这一策略，就需要更深入地了解个人和社区在积极生活方式方面的意识、态度和信念。
