Methodology And Research Characteristics Of An Exercise Program

Following a critical overview of the literature, this chapter outlines the research methodology. It will provide a justification for a qualitative methodological approach and specification of methods employed. Highlighting the appropriateness of interviews and focus groups in relation to the methodology and overall research. It will also provide recognition of their relative strengths and limitations.

Exercise behavior is the study of theories which work to explain actions and phenomenon’s that occur when looking at peoples perspectives of exercise. One overall theory called The Transtheoretical model (TTM), includes elements from “across a variety of theories and models behavior, some of which are social-cognitive in nature and some of which are not” (79). The TTM describes five stages of behavior change: Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. By using TTM as the base of multiple theories, a greater picture of exercise behavior is created to understand how individuals become interested and continue to make a life style that involves normal exercise.

There was a strength in the study from the use of qualitative methodology and thematic analysis to code the interviews of the participants.

The article, Exercise Program for Older Adults Improves Health and Catches on Around the Country, goes into depth about a program managed by senior services in Seattle, Washington, pertaining to a study on the elderly and the benefits of physical activity. Aging studies have found that people grow old at different rates, but it is inevitable that at some point there will be a decline in endurance, flexibility, balance and strength that occurs from natural aging. This natural occurrence has the possibility of leading to several negative impacts such as diminished independence and vitality which can lead to depression as well as increasing the likelihood of a disabling injury. After years of researching the positive benefits of physical activity, The University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center, a CDC Prevention Research Center (PRC), decided that they wanted to offer an exercise program in the setting of a community center. They thought it was wise to offer this program in a community based location like a senior center to promote dissemination and

This course has given me a new perspective on exercise and behavior adoption for many reasons. The first and biggest realization I had was during the behavior change project. This assignment allowed me to take a step back and assess where I stand physically and mentally. I noticed that I lacked discipline in my diet and exercise routines. That being said, I did exercise periodically prior to this moment, but I knew that I was capable of accomplishing more and using my time more wisely. The fact that this assignment allowed me to directly apply what we learned in class to my life is appealing to me. There have been many theories and terms that we have covered, but items such as the self-determination theory, social support, and the stimulus-response theory stood out most, probably due to me incorporating them in my behavior change.

There was no blinding in this study. Both groups, the participation group and the nonadherence group, were formed naturally by the subjects. Women who engaged in exercise infrequently were not included in this study due to inconsistent exercise performance, which would make it increasingly difficult to gather accurate data. There were several limitations in this study. There was below-average reliability amongst the group adherence measurements. Therefore, the data obtained should be examined carefully. Since this study was descriptive, the participants were not randomly assigned to specific groups. Lastly, since motivation was not measured before the study began, it is not known if the levels of exercise

Exercise is a way of life for many whether it’s for fun, to get fit, or just a time consumer. However, a common way many use of exercise is to release built up stress. Not only is it beneficial to a person’s health, but it is also an easy way to grasp a clear mindset. The only downfall of this option is the fact that some get caught up and can’t get enough of the benefits exercise grants them. Exercise addiction tends to distress a range of emotions when a person is unable to exercise. M.K.S., author of Recognizing Exercises Addiction, has discovered that “there is ample evidence that exercise has mood-altering effects” (M.K.S. 1). Without exercising, a person may feel angry, guilty, or anxious. These feelings may also occur when a compulsive exerciser experiences a disruption in his or her exercise routine. Exercise addiction sometimes accompanies obsessive behaviors surrounding the issues of food and weight, as some

There are many different reasons as to why individuals choose to participate in exercise, whether it is due to athletics, weight control, or behavior. This study is used to determine the difference in motivation levels between college athletes at Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) and those who do not play sports at KWU. The health benefits of exercise are widely known but rarely put into use. The lack of physical activity has grown to become a problem in college-aged students, even to the point where a common phrase of “Freshman Forty” has become dominant. It seems the transition from high school to college leaves former athletes unaware of how to exercise without a sport or coach telling them what to do and how to do it. Motivation levels could be a determining factor as to why individuals choose to partake in exercise or are lacking in that area.

Those against mandatory exercise say that if students feel it is important to exercise they will create a program of physical activity on their own and it does not need to be a part of the school. The problem with this theory is that the majority of people would stop the program if left on their own without any sort of accountability. For example, a study was done on several different exercise plans to see what results would happen over time. First the theoretical approach of self-monitoring was used. This program left individuals to attend exercise sessions on their own without any intervention from others. The overall observation was that interest in attending and exercising was lost after about four weeks. Next the approach of stages of change was used. This program used four different groups. One group received weekly calls with structured inquiry to see how and when the subjects were personally exercising. The second group received weekly calls with general inquiries about their exercise habits. The third group received a call every three weeks with general inquiries of exercise, and the last group received calls every three weeks with structured inquiries. The results were, that 63% of the subjects who were called more frequently were regularly exercising as opposed to only the 22% exercising success rate of those that were called less frequently. Also those called with the structured

Qualitative data analysis is the next step in the process. Generating themes from data is

Participants for this study will be a convenience sample of 100 volunteers out of Millersville University in Pennsylvania. The participants for this study will be students enrolled in general psychology courses at the University. Student’s ages will range from 18 years old to 23 years old. Participants can be from a college freshman to a senior. There will be two groups observed in this study; the first group will have reported participating in less than five hours of structured physical activity per week, while the second group will have reported participating in more than five hours of structured physical activity per week. Informed consent (see Appendix A) will be obtained from each individual before participating in this study. Monetary payments will not be given for participating, extra credit will be decided

This section provides an introduction to the different types of research paradigms and methods before concluding on the approach that this study will undertake.

There was a clear statement of aims in the paper, which were: to isolate key motivational factors for sustained exercise in phase four CR and to understand if both genders share similar motivational factors for exercise. The researchers successfully carried out a literature review, a key part of the research process, and identified an area lacking research (***Insert reference for research process/literature review***). The particular area identified was motivational factors driving participation in phase 4 CR. The gathered evidence will enable the researchers to gain an understanding of the patient’s motivational factors and be able to tailor treatment based on this. As a result, the findings will be integrated to inform the researcher’s evidence based practice which, in turn, will benefit all future service users of CR (insert evidence based practice reference)

To analysis the collected qualitative data, the five steps for qualitative data analysis was applied: data immersion, data coding, data reduction, data display, and interpretation (Lui 2014).

The purpose statement should also reflect the research questions, the research design, the participants and data sources used, and the geographic position of the study (Northcentral University, 2013). The introduction section should further highlight the research question. Qualitative research questions should match the purpose statement and be open-ended. Qualitative research questions should reflect the qualitative research design. On the other hand, quantitative research questions should be testable, specific, and be directly answerable based on