Abstract
Background
Chronic musculoskeletal pain increases an individual's risk of developing many chronic diseases and the risk of all-cause early mortality. There is irrefutable evidence supporting the role of physical activity (PA) in reducing these risks. Sustaining changes to PA behaviours is challenging and efforts are needed to understand the barriers and facilitators of change. Understanding these factors is a vital step in developing behaviour change interventions.
Objectives
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Explore barriers and facilitators to engaging in PA in adults accessing pain services.
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Explore barriers and facilitators to promoting PA by healthcare professionals, exercise professionals and charity staff/expert patients.
Methods
A qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework (TDF). Two focus groups were conducted with service users (n=18). Three focus groups were held with; healthcare professionals (n=8); exercise professionals (n=6) and charity staff/expert patients (n=8). Two independent reviewers thematically analysed transcripts. Barriers and facilitators were subsequently coded according to the domains of the TDF.
Results
For all groups barriers were frequently mapped to the domain ‘environmental context and resources’. Although there was variation across the groups, barriers were also frequently mapped to the domains of ‘knowledge’, ‘beliefs about consequences’, and ‘belief about capabilities’. For service-users' facilitators were frequently mapped to ‘social influences’.
Conclusion
The TDF was used to identify deficits that are likely to influence behaviours; targeted intervention strategies have been developed to specifically target these deficits. The interventions that have been developed consider not only the behaviour of those at whom the intervention is targeted, but also those involved in its delivery.
No conflicts of interest
Sources of funding: This research was funded by the Public Health Agency, HSC R&D Division through a Doctoral Fellowship awarded to J Marle
