Kokorelias Kristina M, Ripat Jacquie, Barclay Ruth, Jones C Allyson, Mayo Nancy E, Grant Theresa, Scodras Stephanie, Alsbury-Nealy Kyla, Ryder-Burbidge Charlotte, Salbach Nancy M
Department of Medicine, Geriatrics, Sinai Health System and University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
BMC Geriatr. 2025 Jan 8;25(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05611-z.
The Getting Older Adults Outdoors (GO-OUT) randomized controlled trial showed that a workshop and 10-week park-based outdoor walk group (OWG) was superior to the workshop and 10 weekly reminders (WR) with increasing walking capacity, but not outdoor walking activity, health-promoting behavior, or successful aging, among older adults with difficulty walking outdoors. The objective of this planned process evaluation was to explore participants' perceptions of mechanisms of impact of and contextual factors influencing experiences with the interventions to help explain the observed intervention effects on study outcomes.
A qualitative descriptive study involving semi-structured interviews conducted at 6-months post-baseline was conducted. A directed content analysis was undertaken.
We interviewed 27 adults (52% male, 48% female, mean age 76 years) from the OWG (n = 13) and WR group (n = 14).
We identified two themes including: "Holding Me Accountable to Walk More Frequently", and "We Walked Farther, With More Ease and Confidence, and We Felt Better". Participants in both groups described how the OWG and WR programs provided some degree of structure and accountability to others that increased their motivation to walk outdoors. Participants described how the OWG led to improved walking capacity (e.g., increased walking distance) and confidence. Interacting with people during OWG sessions led to a sense of enjoyment, and well-being.
Community programs that incorporate structure, accountability, and opportunities for social interaction, can help improve motivation to increase outdoor walking activity and a sense of belonging for older adults with difficulty walking outdoors. Park-based OWG programs appear to convey additional important benefits related to improved physical function and well-being.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03292510 Date of registration: September 25, 2017.
“让老年人走出户外”（GO - OUT）随机对照试验表明，对于在户外行走有困难的老年人，一个工作坊和为期10周的基于公园的户外步行小组（OWG）在提高步行能力方面优于工作坊和每周10次的提醒（WR），但在户外步行活动、健康促进行为或成功老龄化方面并无优势。这项计划中的过程评估的目的是探讨参与者对干预措施影响机制和影响干预体验的情境因素的看法，以帮助解释观察到的干预措施对研究结果的影响。
进行了一项定性描述性研究，包括在基线后6个月进行的半结构化访谈。采用了定向内容分析。
我们采访了来自OWG组（n = 13）和WR组（n = 14）的27名成年人（男性52%，女性48%，平均年龄76岁）。
我们确定了两个主题，包括：“让我更频繁地行走负责”和“我们走得更远、更轻松、更自信，感觉更好”。两组参与者都描述了OWG和WR计划如何为他人提供了一定程度的结构和责任感，从而增加了他们在户外行走的动力。参与者描述了OWG如何提高步行能力（例如，增加步行距离）和信心。在OWG活动期间与他人互动带来了愉悦感和幸福感。
纳入结构、责任感和社交互动机会的社区项目，可以帮助提高户外行走困难的老年人增加户外步行活动的动力和归属感。基于公园的OWG项目似乎还带来了与改善身体功能和幸福感相关的其他重要益处。
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03292510 注册日期：2017年9月25日。
