Heart to Heart: An Exercise Intervention for Rural Women

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Women's participation in regular exercise is a major factor in preventing heart disease, the leading cause of death in women. Only 15% of adults exercise at the recommended level, and the percentage of rural women who do so is even less. Heart-to-heart (HTH) is an innovative intervention designed to increase exercise in rural women at risk of developing coronary heart disease. The specific aims of this research project are to: (1) Determine the magnitude of change in exercise adherence and cardio respiratory fitness and whether this magnitude differs for rural women in HTH and rural women in the control group; (2) Examine the magnitude of change in self-efficacy, stage of change, and social support and whether this change differs for rural women in HTH and rural women in the control group; (3) Examine whether self-efficacy, stage of change, and social support mediate the relationship between HTH and the outcome variables of exercise adherence and cardio respiratory fitness; (4) Describe HTH participants' experiences with the intervention. Data from exercise logs will measure adherence, a 12-minute walk test will measure fitness, and self-report data will measure self-efficacy, social support, and group cohesion. Quantitative data will be analyzed with ANOVA, hierarchical regression and effect sizes. Qualitative data will be analyzed with qualitative content analysis.