City Research Online

Abstract

Exercise is recommended for people with Parkinson’s (PwP) but clinical exercise-based interventions are generally ineffective. Social, cultural and environmental factors can influence exercise behaviours, but these topics are under-researched. We interviewed 18 PwP using a narrative approach to identify factors influencing their exercise behaviours throughout their lives. Thematic analysis identified three themes: (1) Why I exercise, (2) What helps, and (3) Exercise with Parkinson’s. Participants had consistent core motivations to exercise: mood and well-being, body image, competition, and camaraderie. Having active partners, supportive work, and varied exercise options were among the important facilitators of long-term exercise. Participants believed strongly in the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s, but experienced guilt about not exercising enough and frustration when symptoms made it harder to continue. This study illustrates how narrative interviews can reveal important social, cultural and environmental influences on exercise behaviour, offering potential to develop more individualised and effective exercise interventions.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). © The Author(s) 2024.
Publisher Keywords:	chronic illness, culture, exercise, exercise behaviour, physical activity, qualitative methods
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Healthcare Services Research & Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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