Thesis Format
Monograph
Degree
Master of Science
Program
Kinesiology
Supervisor
Thornton, Jane
Abstract
Globally, most individuals are not meeting international physical activity guidelines. Individuals with osteoarthritis are even less likely to meet these guidelines than the general population, even though physical activity is a first line management strategy for osteoarthritis. I conducted five focus groups with 15 participants with mild to moderate knee and hip osteoarthritis who had participated in a 12-month randomized controlled trial to better understand the effectiveness of implementing physical activity prescription with novel digital health tools. Overall, 11 focus groups with 42 participants were conducted. Throughout the focus groups, participants shared their experiences with osteoarthritis, physical activity, study participation, study doctors, and the interventions. Employing a qualitative, thematic analysis, we analyzed transcripts and identified three major themes within the data: (1) Guidance, (2) Tracking, and (3) Interpersonal Accountability. Study findings can help us to understand the perceptions of and experiences with the use of digital health tools and physical activity counselling in clinical practice.
Summary for Lay Audience
Physical activity can be very beneficial in improving pain for patients with osteoarthritis, a condition where a joint is painful. However, many people do not meet the recommended international physical activity guidelines for health which indicate that adults should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity weekly, or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity weekly. We asked patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis who were enrolled in a study measuring effectiveness of physical activity prescription and virtual tools to aid in physical activity in clinical practice, to share their experiences through the trial in a virtual focus group setting. Participants were allocated to one of three potential groups as part of the larger study: usual care, physical activity prescription, and physical activity prescription with access to a website with further educational resources. The physical activity prescription was auto populated based on their self-reported physical activity and discussed with a physician. The website contained physical activity resources including videos. All participants had access to a smartphone app to track their steps. Forty-two individuals participated in 11 focus groups. We reviewed the transcripts of these focus groups and analysed them to better understand how participants felt about the tools and resources provided in the study. Three main ideas were seen in the results. The first was that participants really appreciated guidance for physical activity from the prescription but found more benefit in the conversation with the doctor. They agreed that the more specific the guidance, the better. The second was that participants found it motivating to track their physical activity through the app. Finally, participants indicated that they appreciated that being a part of the study held them accountable for their exercise behaviours. Overall, the results of this study will help researchers and health care providers better understand how to prescribe physical activity to patients with osteoarthritis.
Recommended Citation
Pardo, Abbie, "Physical Activity Prescription and Exercise-based Management Resources for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: A thematic analysis of the perspective of participants in the TEAM Study" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10504.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10504