The Exercise Attitudes, Perceptions, and Perceived Outcomes of Older Minority Women Participating in a Fall Prevention Program

• Main Author: Hall, Porsha
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Archive @ GSU 2008
• Subjects: older adults; fall prevention; minority women; social support; exercise; exercise attitudes; exercise beliefs; Sociology
• Online Access: http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/gerontology_theses/8; http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=gerontology_theses

Fall prevention is a serious issue in the health and aging fields, and much attention and research is now being focused on examining why older adults fall and ways to prevent them from falling. Although it has been well-documented that older adults benefit from programs designed to decrease falling by promoting exercise participation, balance training, and fall education; little research has focused on specifically examining how older minority women view preventive exercise programs. This qualitative study explores the experiences of older minority women participating in a fall prevention program. The specific aims of the study are to: 1) gain an understanding of older minority women’s experiences and perceptions about falling and fall prevention; 2) establish what factors influence older minority women to participate in fall prevention programs; and 3) explore participants’ perceived outcomes of program participation. Post-test interviews with 21 participants were analyzed using the method of grounded theory to identify common themes and outcomes associated with participation in a fall prevention program. Findings from this study provide an in-depth look into the factors motivating older minority women to participate in exercise and explore their beliefs regarding falling and fall prevention.