Physical activity promotion in rural health care settings: A rapid realist review

Abstract

Physical activity promotion in health care settings is poorly understood and has limited uptake among health care providers. The environmental and health care context of rural communities is unique from urban areas and may interact to influence intervention delivery and success. The aim of this rapid realist review was to synthesize knowledge related to the promotion of physical activity in rural health and social care settings. We searched Medline EBSCO, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and SPORTDiscus for relevant publications. We included qualitative or quantitative studies reporting on an intervention to promote physical activity in rural health (e.g., primary or community care) or social (e.g., elder support services) care settings. Studies without a rural focus or well-defined physical activity/exercise component were excluded. Populations of interest included adults and children in the general population or clinical sub-population. Intervention mechanisms from included studies were mapped to the Behaviour Change Wheel (capability, opportunity, motivation (COM-B)). Twenty studies were included in our review. Most interventions focused on older adults or people with chronic disease risk factors. The most successful intervention strategies leading to increased physical activity behaviour included wearable activity trackers, and check-ins or reminders from trusted sources. Interventions with mechanisms categorized as physical opportunity, automatic motivation, and psychological capability were more likely to be successful than other factors of the COM-B model. Successful intervention activities included a method for tracking progress, providing counselling, and follow-up reminders to prompt behaviour change. Cultivation of necessary community partnerships and adaptations for implementation of interventions in rural communities were not clearly described and may support successful outcomes in future studies.

Keywords

• Physical activity
• Rural populations
• Knowledge synthesis
• Exercise is medicine