Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112674

Karen E. Peters, DrPH¹, Michael Glasser, PhD², Audrey Salberg², Jeanette Nolting², Jan Warren-Findlow, PhD³, and Thomas Prohaska, PhD⁴. (1) Illinois Prevention Research Center/Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W. Roosevelt, Ste 500, Chicago, IL 60608, 312-413-4944, kpeters@uic.edu, (2) Rural Health Professions, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave, Rockford, IL 61107, (3) Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W. Roosevelt Road, Rm 558, Chicago, IL 60608, (4) Center for Research on Health and Aging, University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson (M/C 275), Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607

Physical inactivity and poor diet have been shown to result in excess morbidity and mortality in the US population. Health care providers are well positioned to provide assessments of their patients' level of physical activity (PA) and to counsel and encourage regular exercise activity. Exercise in older adults has been shown to prevent or delay the onset of chronic illness, reduce the symptoms of chronic illness and improve quality of life. However, the findings on the effectiveness of provider-patient communications and interventions regarding PA counseling are mixed. Further, little research exists comparing the practices of providers and preferences of patients in urban and rural settings. This paper reports on the perspectives of rural providers and older adults concerning counseling for PA. Surveys, focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine rural primary care provider attitudes and experiences with PA counseling with older adults and older adults were queried regarding how and under what circumstances they would be receptive to PA counseling communications. While many similarities were noted between the urban and rural groups, interesting differences were also noted including provider approaches to and reasons for initiating counseling and older adult perceptions of the roles providers play in recommending PA.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Understand the roles that providers and older adult patients play in making recommendations for physical activity counseling
• 2. Articulate three differences between urban and rural settings related to provider-patient dynamics for physical activity counseling

Keywords: Physical Activity, Providers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation