Three Victorian local governments cooperated in
a pilot study of physical activity promotion as part
of home and community care (HACC) service
delivery. Thirty-one people receiving HACC volunteered
to participate, including completing the
Transtheoretical Stages of Change Exercise
Questionnaire and the short-form Stanford
Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) just
before and at 3 months and 6 months after
starting regular self-selected physical activity.
Twenty-one participants returned questionnaires
at 3 months, and 17 participants returned questionnaires
at 6 months. Data were analysed
using paired t tests and effect sizes were calculated
as mean differences. At 3 months, mean
improvements were identified on 6 of the 8 HAQDI
(disability index) subscales, and in the overall
HAQ-DI score. Improvement in dressing and
grooming was preserved at 6 months. At either 3
or 6 months, improvements in dressing and
grooming, reach, hygiene, and daily activities,
and overall HAQ-DI score exceeded the minimum
clinically important difference. No improvements
were statistically significant, as is likely in
a pilot study with a small sample, however, these
results suggest that even very small increases in
physical activity may afford clinically meaningful
improvements in some areas of physical function
required for independent living.
Training Novices To Evaluate Physical Activity Promotion Material Quality: Results Of A Pilot Study
