Qualitative Descriptors of Exercise in Older Women

• Published in: Journal of aging and physical activity 1996-07, Vol.4 (3), p.251-263, Article 251
• Main Author: Schneider, Joanne Kraenzle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Exercise; Maintenance management; Older women; Regulation; Self regulation
• ISSN: 1063-8652; 1543-267X
• DOI: 10.1123/japa.4.3.251

The self-regulation of exercise maintenance model was used to study the episode-specific interpretations of exercise of older women immediately after an exercise episode. Seventeen women, mean age 69.7 ± 4.9 years, were recruited to represent a variety of exercise patterns. A semistructured episode-specific interview was administered after an exercise episode. The questions asked related to physiological/somatic and cognitive/emotional sensations associated with exercise and the social/environmental context of the exercise experience. Data analysis revealed five themes—somatic sensations, affirmations, connectedness, explanations, and reflections—each of which contained distinct categories. The proposed self-regulation of exercise maintenance model was clarified to better represent the data grounded in the women’s descriptions. The women’s qualitative descriptors will be used to develop a quantitative instrument to measure older women’s interpretations of exercise. Future research should involve testing the self-regulation of exercise maintenance model and examining interventions that affect episode-specific interpretations and thereby exercise maintenance.