An active lifestyle is a key part of a woman’s health. A 30 minute exercise session at least five days a week can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, improve mood, cognitive function, and general wellbeing. Whether it’s walking, jogging, swimming, or some other type of exercise, a daily exercise regimen is beneficial for women.
Women’s health active lifestyle intervention
The Women’s Health Active Lifestyle Intervention aims to improve women’s knowledge of and practice of healthy behaviors. It combines social support and educational materials. The intervention is, conducted in an inner-city community in Cook County, Illinois, where the incidence of chronic diseases is high. Its participants include high-risk women ages 19-45. Twelve women enrolled and 11 completed the two-month program.
Impact of social context on participation
While there are regional differences in health and active lifestyle participation, men and women are more likely to participate in activities with friends and family. Men were less likely to report health constraints and a lack of time as barriers to participating. In addition, men and women in rural areas were more likely to report problems with transportation and unavailability of activities. These factors may play a role in the difference between men and women’s levels of participation in physical activity.
In addition to examining the physical activity level, research must explore the social context of participation. In particular, the social and psychological influences may have a profound impact on participation levels. For example, friendships may influence participation because young people tend to gravitate towards peers who share similar attitudes. For instance, research should focus on the attitudes of young women who have recently begun participating in an activity.
The study also examined the social context and the size of the population in each region. This allowed researchers to compare social participation among men and women in rural areas and urban regions. Respondents were classified into five regions, including the Prairies, the Atlantic provinces, and Quebec. These divisions were consistent with demographic projections. While the proportion of senior citizens is, expected to be similar across the five regions, the proportion of seniors is, expected to be lower in the Prairie provinces.
Social context and environment also play an important role in the health of older adults. In addition to physical environments, the social context can also affect older adults’ participation in community activities. The study found that urban residents tended to have greater social participation than rural residents. This may be because urban areas have more recreational opportunities and amenities than rural areas. However, the study also found that rural residents were more likely to volunteer, which may increase their social participation.
The study findings show that women’s physical activity participation is, influenced by the social context they live in. Social context can be positive or negative, depending on a person’s attitude towards participating in physical activities. For example, social friendship groups can increase physical activity, while negative social context can cause women to withdraw from the activity.
Effectiveness of intervention
Active lifestyle interventions can improve health outcomes for all women and can be tailored for different stages of life and abilities. To determine the effectiveness of an intervention, we developed a comprehensive state-transition Markov model for estimating health gains and costs over a lifetime. The cost-effectiveness ratio was, then calculated as the ratio of incremental costs to incremental QALYs, where QALYs are, the total expected QALYs associated with an intervention compared to no intervention.
The intervention time was, defined as the number of weeks between the first session and the last session. Benefits were, defined as the proportion of participants who completed the lifestyle program and lost 5% or more of their body weight. Women were classified as complete if they attended all of the sessions and not just intermittently.
The sample size was, determined using power analyses and planned comparisons between the two intervention groups. Effect size estimates were based on changes among prehypertensive women in a preliminary study, as well as differences between the intervention group and the control group. A total of 92 participants participated in the intervention study, compared to 42 women in the control group.
Studies have found that insufficient physical activity is a risk factor for a wide range of noncommunicable diseases. People who are not physically active have a 20-30% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type-2 diabetes. Physical inactivity is a major public health problem, and increasing numbers of women are not getting enough exercise. Increasing physical activity levels is a priority for public health.
Cost of intervention
The cost of a women’s health active lifestyle intervention was, estimated by estimating its ROI ratio (return on investment) over five years. Each Australian dollar spent on the intervention produced an estimated four-and-a-half dollars of health cost savings over that period. The intervention was, estimated to cost A$205 million ($151 million) in its first year and A$807 million ($596 million) in its fifth year. The estimated cost savings per woman per year were A$951 ($703).
The study’s strengths include its substantial meta-analysis of lifestyle interventions and its large tertiary hospital sample, which allowed for detailed understanding of patient pathways. Using the Medicare Benefit Schedule to cost services, it included costs associated with gestational diabetes and hypertensive diseases during pregnancy.
The intervention’s cost was estimated at SEK 5359 (95% CI: 4406-6311), and costs varied depending on whether women were enrolled at BMI greater than 40 at the time of study. The intervention’s costs included the education of health professionals involved in antenatal care, including midwives.
