Developing and evaluating a physical activity intervention for rural men
Creators: name: Gallagher, Jacob
Publisher: name: University of Iowa
Year: 2025
Subjects: behavioral intervention
Men's health
needs assessment
physical activity
remote delivery
rural
public abstract
Public Health

description: Introduction:
description: Rural men have higher mortality rates than urban men, in part because of higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity. While physical activity is known to reduce risk and improve outcomes related to these diseases, rural men are less active than their urban counterparts. However, little is known about the barriers for physical activity among rural men and few physical activity interventions have been targeted to this population. Therefore, the overall goal of this project is to advance the understanding of rural men’s barriers and preferences of physical activity. That information will then be used to develop a physical activity intervention, and then assess the acceptability and feasibility of a physical activity intervention tailored to rural American men.
description: Methods:
description: There were three separate studies in this dissertation. In Study 1, 447 rural men completed a needs assessment survey that asked about their interest in physical activity interventions and their preferences and barriers to physical activity. In Study 2, a subsample of 131 rural men completed a follow-up needs assessment survey that asked about their preferred delivery methods and intervention features. The findings of studies 1 and 2 were used to inform the development of a physical activity intervention tailored to rural men. In Study 3, a sample of 27 rural men completed a 10-week, remotely delivered physical activity intervention. Feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of the intervention were measured.
description: Results:
description: In Study 1, 83.9% of men indicated they were interested in a physical activity program. Rural men reported they wanted demonstrations of physical activity that can be done at home. In Study 2, 55.7% of men reported preferring a male presenter for demonstration videos. Men also reported preferring an exercise professional (4.2 on a scale of 1-Dislike a great deal to 5-like a great deal) to deliver educational content. YouTube was rated highest (4.1 on a scale of 1-dislike very much to 5-like very much) for delivering educational materials. In Study 3, participants completed 8 out of 12 physical activity education/demonstration modules on average, and 56% of participants completed all modules. Step counts did not significantly change over the course of the 10-week intervention. The number of participants engaging in muscle strengthening exercises did improve (18% at baseline to 70% at follow-up), and muscular endurance also improved (10 more push-ups, 6 more sit-ups, and 8 more squats on average). The Fitbits were rated as a very helpful feature (81 on a scale of 1-Not helpful to 100-Very helpful), but participants suggested more interaction and accountability could improve the program.
description: Discussion:
description: Our findings suggest that rural men are interested in a physical activity intervention, but they preferred a program that was remotely delivered through YouTube videos. Demonstrations of activities that can be done from home were important features to rural men. When evaluating an intervention that accommodates these preferences, we found that muscle strengthening behaviors and muscular endurance improved, but step counts did not. Future investigation is needed to further improve the program, such as adding more interactive features and accountability in the intervention.