Challenges of complex interventions using the example of physical activity promotion. A qualitative study among scientists

Schaller A, Dejonghe LAL, Tetz J, Exner AK. Herausforderungen komplexer Interventionen am Beispiel der Bewegungsförderung. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. 2019;14(2):169-175.Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Die Forderung nach Evidenzbasierung in Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung wächst, was mit großen methodischen und praktischen Herausforderungen für Forschende verbunden ist. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Identifizierung von Herausforderungen aus Perspektive von Forschenden im Handlungsfeld Bewegung. Methode Neun halbstrukturierte, leitfadengestützte Tiefeninterviews wurden durchgeführt (4 Frauen, 5 Männer; Alter: 38 [10] Jahre). Die Auswertung erfolgte nach der inhaltlich strukturierten Inhaltsanalyse nach Kuckartz. Ergebnisse Die Forschenden berichteten von einer großen Spannbreite an Herausforderungen. Diese konnten als allgemeine Zusammenarbeit mit Praxispartnern, Finanzierung und Planung einer Studie, Studiendurchführung sowie Wissenschaftliche Karriere und Publikationen zusammengefasst werden. Schlussfolgerung Anhand des Datenmaterials ließen sich konkrete Empfehlungen für die Forschungspraxis ableiten, um die Evidenz- und Qualitätsentwicklung von Forschungsprojekten in der Bewegungsförderung zu unterstützen. Dabei zeigte sich, dass im gesamten Projektverlauf insbesondere der Kommunikation mit den Praxispartnern ein hoher Stellenwert zugeschrieben werden muss. Dabei könnte eine Herangehensweise im Sinne der partizipativen Gesundheitsforschung hilfreich sein.BackgroundThe need for evidence development in prevention and health promotion has gained importance. Physical activity promotion as amain field of health promotion is acknowledged as acomplex intervention. This study aimed at exploring the challenges faced by researchers during studies on physical activity promotion.Materials and methodsNine researchers (4 women, 5men; age: 38 [10] years) were questioned using semistructured interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to the structured content analysis according to Kuckartz.ResultsThe researchers reported awide range of challenges comprising the categories overall cooperation with practice partners, financing and planning of studies, study execution as well as scientific career and publications.ConclusionThe results obtained from this study specified researchers' challenges in studies on physical activity promotion. It became clear that communication with colleagues involved must be given high priority throughout the project. With regard to evidence development the results might help to develop model and empirically based recommendations for application-oriented studies on physical activity promotion

Effectiveness Studies in Health Promotion: A Review of the Methodological Quality of Studies Reporting Significant Effects on Physical Activity in Working Age Adults

The methodology of intervention studies on physical activity (PA) promotion is of great importance regarding evidence development in complex interventions. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the methodological quality of those studies which reported statistically significant effects of interventions promoting PA. PUBMED was searched for reviews on PA promotion to identify studies reporting effective interventions with participants of working age (16–67 years). Selected reviews were screened and data from primary studies with effective interventions were extracted to assess methodological quality. Forty-six reviews with 600 primary studies were identified, of which 33 met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-one studies were conducted as randomized controlled trials, 13 included an intervention control group, 25 measured PA by questionnaire, and 13 included objective measurements. Information on used statistics was often scarce, and long-term follow-up measurements were frequently missing. The overall methodological quality was moderate for randomized studies and low for non-randomized studies; information on methods and results was often lacking. To overcome these methodological issues, standardized guidelines for reporting study results should be considered, not only when publishing results but also when designing studies. This review provides a solid foundation for the development of practical advice for planning application-oriented studies in PA promotion

Influence of Health Literacy on the Physical Activity of Working Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the TRISEARCH Trial

Studies show that high health literacy (HL) can support the promotion and maintenance of healthy behavior such as physical activity (PA). However, most studies rely on subjective data. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between HL and PA, not only with subjectively but also with objectively measured PA data. The present study is a pooled analysis of baseline data from the research association TRISEARCH (2015-2018), which focused on the HL of working adults. HL was measured by Lenartz' questionnaire, and PA by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ; n = 1056). A subsample (n = 124) also received accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X+) to provide more objective PA data. Partial correlations and regression models were used to investigate the relationship between HL and questionnaire- and accelerometer-derived PA. Very low and medium partial correlations could be found for HL subscales and daily PA by questionnaire (r = -0.06, p 0.05). Not all subscales of HL seem to have an influence on the occurrence of healthy behavior, such as PA. This should be considered when HL-based interventions are designed. Further investigation of the relationship between HL and PA is needed. Objective assessments of both HL and PA can provide additional information for this task