scholarly journals Identifying Community Physical Activity and Health Resources by Utilizing Members of a Physical Activity Network

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Sedney ◽  
Treah Haggerty ◽  
Sam Zizzi ◽  
Patricia Dekeseredy

Abstract Background: Back pain is one of the leading causes of health care expenditure in the US and is linked to an increased body mass index. Many evidence-based modalities for the prevention and treatment of back pain closely mirror recommendations for weight loss and include physical activity and health maintenance activities (PAHM). Collaboration was sought with the West Virginia Physical Activity Network (WVPAN) leadership to ascertain community assets, and perceptions of the use of PAHM in the treatment of back pain by WVPAN members. Methods: Participants for the study were recruited from the West Virginia Physical Activity Network. This grassroots organization is filled with volunteers from various sectors who have either signed up via email or liked the WVPAN Facebook page. This network was purposely selected as the study population because of the statewide reach and their familiarity with resources in their local communities. A brief survey instrument was designed to gather their scaled perceptions about various treatment modalities related to back pain, and to gather their local knowledge related to specific providers in their communities. In addition, participants were given a free text box to list any local assets or resources for the nine treatments listed, and county of residence, and the nature of their connection to the physical activity network. Descriptive analyses were used to describe overall patterns of survey data. The qualitative data were compiled manually by the research team to show themes of specific treatments mentioned across different parts of the state. Results: Participants overwhelmingly supported physical therapy, flexibility training, yoga, and core strengthening as treatments for back pain. The majority of respondents were “undecided” about other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapies and acupuncture. Conclusions: The implementation of PAHM interventions in communities could help treat patients with back pain, and may reduce reliance on the pharmacological treatment for back pain. The current study’s data support the potential of such approaches in many West Virginia counties. Also, local resources, and context can be gleaned from community leader surveys utilizing previously developed infrastructure for PAHM promotion.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Sedney ◽  
Treah Haggerty ◽  
Sam Zizzi ◽  
Patricia Dekeseredy

Abstract Background: Back pain is one of the leading causes of health care expenditure in the US and is linked to an increased body mass index. Many evidence-based modalities for the prevention and treatment of back pain closely mirror recommendations for weight loss and include physical activity and health maintenance activities (PAHM). Collaboration was sought with the West Virginia Physical Activity Network (WVPAN) leadership to ascertain community assets, and perceptions of the use of PAHM in the treatment of back pain by WVPAN members. Methods: Participants for the study were recruited from the West Virginia Physical Activity Network. This grassroots organization is filled with volunteers from various sectors who have either signed up via email or liked the WVPAN Facebook page. This network was purposely selected as the study population because of the statewide reach and their familiarity with resources in their local communities. A brief survey instrument was designed to gather their scaled perceptions about various treatment modalities related to back pain, and to gather their local knowledge related to specific providers in their communities. In addition, participants were given a free text box to list any local assets or resources for the nine treatments listed, and county of residence, and the nature of their connection to the physical activity network. Descriptive analyses were used to describe overall patterns of survey data. The qualitative data were compiled manually by the research team to show themes of specific treatments mentioned across different parts of the state. Results: Participants overwhelmingly supported physical therapy, flexibility training, yoga, and core strengthening as treatments for back pain. The majority of respondents were “undecided” about other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapies and acupuncture. Conclusions: The implementation of PAHM interventions in communities could help treat patients with back pain, and may reduce reliance on the pharmacological treatment for back pain. The current study’s data support the feasibility of such approaches in many West Virginia counties. Also, local resources, needs, and context can be gleaned from community leader surveys utilizing previously developed infrastructure for PAHM promotion. Key Words: physical activity, capacity building, rural health, collaborative research


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Sedney ◽  
Treah Haggerty ◽  
Sam Zizzi ◽  
Patricia Dekeseredy

Abstract Background: Back pain is one of the leading causes of health care expenditure in the US and is linked to an increased body mass index. Many evidence-based modalities for the prevention and treatment of back pain closely mirror recommendations for weight loss and include physical activity and health maintenance activities (PAHM). The primary aim of this study was to ascertain community assets, and perceptions of the use of PAHM in the treatment of back pain by West Virginia Physical Activity Network (WVPAN) members. Methods: Participants for the study were recruited from the West Virginia Physical Activity Network. This grassroots organization is filled with volunteers from various sectors who were recruited from various workshops, conferences, or coalition meetings over a period of several years. This network was purposely selected as the study population because of the statewide reach and their familiarity with resources in their local communities. A brief survey instrument was designed to gather their scaled perceptions about various treatment modalities related to back pain, and to gather their local knowledge related to specific providers in their communities. In addition, participants were given a free text box to list any local assets or resources for the nine treatments listed, and county of residence, and the nature of their connection to the physical activity network. Descriptive analyses were used to describe overall patterns of survey data. The qualitative data were compiled manually by the research team to show themes of specific treatments mentioned across different parts of the state. Results: Participants overwhelmingly supported physical therapy, flexibility training, yoga, and core strengthening as treatments for back pain. The majority of respondents were “undecided” about other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapies and acupuncture. Conclusions: The implementation of PAHM interventions in communities could help treat patients with back pain, and may reduce reliance on the pharmacological treatment for back pain. The current study’s data support the potential of such approaches in many West Virginia counties. Also, local resources, and context can be gleaned from community leader surveys utilizing previously developed infrastructure for PAHM promotion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Sedney ◽  
Treah Haggerty ◽  
Samuel Zizzi ◽  
Patricia Dekeseredy

Abstract Background Back pain is one of the leading causes of health care expenditure in the US and is linked to an increased body mass index. Many evidence-based modalities for the prevention and treatment of back pain closely mirror recommendations for weight loss and include physical activity and health maintenance activities (PAHM). The primary aim of this study was to ascertain community assets, and perceptions of the use of PAHM in the treatment of back pain by West Virginia Physical Activity Network (WVPAN) members. Methods Participants for the study were recruited from the West Virginia Physical Activity Network. This grassroots organization is filled with volunteers from various sectors who were recruited from various workshops, conferences, or coalition meetings over a period of several years. This network was purposely selected as the study population because of the statewide reach and their familiarity with resources in their local communities. A brief survey instrument was designed to gather their scaled perceptions about various treatment modalities related to back pain, and to gather their local knowledge related to specific providers in their communities. In addition, participants were given a free text box to list any local assets or resources for the nine treatments listed, and county of residence, and the nature of their connection to the physical activity network. Descriptive analyses were used to describe overall patterns of survey data. The qualitative data were compiled manually by the research team to show themes of specific treatments mentioned across different parts of the state. Results Participants overwhelmingly supported physical therapy, flexibility training, yoga, and core strengthening as treatments for back pain. The majority of respondents were “undecided” about other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapies and acupuncture. Conclusions The implementation of PAHM interventions in communities could help treat patients with back pain, and may reduce reliance on the pharmacological treatment for back pain. The current study’s data support the potential of such approaches in many West Virginia counties. Also, local resources, and context can be gleaned from community leader surveys utilizing previously developed infrastructure for PAHM promotion.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Sedney ◽  
Treah Haggerty ◽  
Sam Zizzi ◽  
Patricia Dekeseredy

Abstract Background: Back pain is one of the leading causes of health care expenditure in the US and is linked to an increased body mass index. Many evidence-based modalities for the prevention and treatment of back pain closely mirror recommendations for weight loss and include physical activity and health maintenance activities (PAHM). The primary aim of this study was to ascertain community assets, and perceptions of the use of PAHM in the treatment of back pain by West Virginia Physical Activity Network (WVPAN) members. Methods: Participants for the study were recruited from the West Virginia Physical Activity Network. This grassroots organization is filled with volunteers from various sectors who were recruited from various workshops, conferences, or coalition meetings over a period of several years. This network was purposely selected as the study population because of the statewide reach and their familiarity with resources in their local communities. A brief survey instrument was designed to gather their scaled perceptions about various treatment modalities related to back pain, and to gather their local knowledge related to specific providers in their communities. In addition, participants were given a free text box to list any local assets or resources for the nine treatments listed, and county of residence, and the nature of their connection to the physical activity network. Descriptive analyses were used to describe overall patterns of survey data. The qualitative data were compiled manually by the research team to show themes of specific treatments mentioned across different parts of the state. Results: Participants overwhelmingly supported physical therapy, flexibility training, yoga, and core strengthening as treatments for back pain. The majority of respondents were “undecided” about other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapies and acupuncture. Conclusions: The implementation of PAHM interventions in communities could help treat patients with back pain, and may reduce reliance on the pharmacological treatment for back pain. The current study’s data support the potential of such approaches in many West Virginia counties. Also, local resources, and context can be gleaned from community leader surveys utilizing previously developed infrastructure for PAHM promotion.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Eszter Simoncsics ◽  
Adrienne Stauder

PURPOSE: We evaluated the attitudes of nurses compared to physiotherapy assistants and medical masseurs (PAMs) regarding various treatment modalities used in the treatment of low-back pain (LBP) as their opinions might influence the patients’ attitudes to therapy. DESIGN: Cross sectional self-reported questionnaire survey. METHODS: 175 Hungarian health care providers completed questionnaires evaluating their opinions on the importance of various therapeutic interventions and the need for initiation of LBP treatment. Their personal LBP history and fear-avoidance beliefs (FABQ) were also investigated. FINDINGS: The importance of exercise therapy (p = 0.024) and massage (p <  0.01) was evaluated higher by the PAMs, while medication (p = 0.04) was scored higher by the nurses. Those who experienced moderate or severe LBP were more positive about pain medication than to those with mild pain (p = 0.048). Years in health care work had only a weak association with opinions. The nurses reported more fear-avoidance beliefs than the PAMs about both physical activity (p = 0.024) and work (p = 0.021). Those who experienced moderate or severe LBP had higher FABQ scores (p = 0,076), however the difference was significant only for FABQ activity (p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that professional background and years of experience can influence the attitudes towards the importance of certain therapies, although these differences were small. Experiencing moderate or severe LBP increased the fear-avoidance beliefs about work and physical activity independently of the professional background. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our study draws the attention to the importance of standardization of the information to be passed to the patients and to the need of discussing personal experiences and beliefs during professional training.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiaan G. Abildso ◽  
Samantha Shawley ◽  
Sherry Owens ◽  
Angela Dyer ◽  
Sean M. Bulger ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Rye ◽  
Nancy O'Hara Tompkins ◽  
Darlene McClure ◽  
Jacqueline Aleshire

Schools are an important resource in combating the physical inactivity and obesity epidemics in rural economically depressed areas. Through a University-community partnership, teachers and adolescents in a rural West Virginia county with one of the highest obesity rates in the state developed a school-based research intervention to increase physical activity opportunities. The intervention included walking routes, educational sessions, and pedometers. A survey about barriers to physical activity revealed that “lack of willpower” was a barrier of concern among program participants (mostly school employees) and had a statistically significant (p = .0033) pre to post mean score decrease during the year two offering. Focus groups with the adolescent researchers revealed that pedometers may facilitate maintenance of physical activity and a broader community impact. Focus group dialogue combined with teacher-researcher perspectives suggested that the adolescents changed their weight control paradigm from “dieting” to include the critical role of energy expenditure. Approval to conduct this research was provided by the West Virginia University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects Protocols No. 16041 and 15632. A poster based on this paper was presented at the 135th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, November, 2007. The authors are very appreciative of the HSTA students for their continued efforts in addressing important public health problems in their community. The project described was supported by funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Grant Award No. H75CCH322130-02 through the West Virginia University Prevention Research Center and by Grant Number 2R25RR12329-04 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC, NCRR, or NIH.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eivind Schjelderup Skarpsno ◽  
Tom Ivar Lund Nilsen ◽  
Paul Jarle Mork

AbstractSleep problems and regular leisure time physical activity (LTPA) are interrelated and have contrasting effects on risk of back pain. However, no studies have investigated the influence of long-term poor sleep quality on risk of back-related disability, or if LTPA modifies this association. The study comprised data on 8601 people who participated in three consecutive surveys over ~ 22 years, and who reported no chronic back pain at the two first surveys. Adjusted risk ratios (RRs) for back-related disability were calculated at the last survey, associated with the joint effect of changes in sleep quality between the two first surveys and meeting physical activity guidelines at the second survey. Compared to people with long-term good sleep, people with long-term poor sleep had nearly twice the risk of back-related disability (RR 1.92, 95% CI 1.48–2.49). There was no statistical interaction between sleep and LTPA but people who reported long-term poor sleep and meeting the physical activity guidelines had 35% lower risk of back-related disability compared to people with same level of sleep problems, but who not met the guidelines. These findings suggest that long-term poor sleep quality contributes to a substantially increased risk of chronic and disabling back pain irrespective of LTPA.


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