Physical activity as a treatment in primary health care. The role of the GP and Somali women’s views and levels of physical activity.
Author
Summary, in English
The general aim was to increase the numbers of prescribed PAP, investigate GP´s view and use of PAP and to elucidate facilitators and barriers to a physical active lifestyle among Somali women and their actual level of physical activity and inactivity. The thesis comprised four studies with three different designs conducted within primary health care in southern Sweden. The intervention in paper I was to alter routines prescribing PAP. Paper II and III were qualitative focus group studies where GPs views of PAP and Somali women’s views of physical activity were elucidated. In Paper IV Somali women’s physical activity levels were monitored.
We found that an increase of PAP prescribed by GPs was possible when involving a physiotherapist to individualize the prescription. GPs see it as their responsibility to optimize the total use of healthcare resources to ensure the best possible access for those in need of care, and thus prescribing PAP is regarded by GPs as a task with low priority that should involve physiotherapists and nurses in the team. Somali women living in Sweden are a vulnerable group susceptible to non-communicable diseases indicating low levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Life post migration gives little incentive to adopt a physically active lifestyle even though physical activity is considered to be a part of health. This thesis indicates that in order for PAP to become everyday practice among GPs there is a need to create routines involving personnel with knowledge of how to individualize the prescription, preferably a physiotherapist. Somali women living in Sweden need individualized, tailored interventions with respect for Somali traditions to meet global guidelines of physical activity.
Department/s
Publishing year
2014
Language
English
Publication/Series
Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series
Volume
2014:130
Full text
Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Family Medicine
Topic
- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Keywords
- Physical activity
- primary health care
- PAP
- accelerometer
- physiotherapy
Status
Published
Research group
- Family Medicine and Community Medicine
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1652-8220
- ISBN: 978-91-7619-059-3
Defence date
11 December 2014
Defence time
13:00
Defence place
Clinical Research Centre, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, Malmö
Opponent
- Eva-Carin Lindgren (Associate Professor)