Health Promotion International, Vol. 17, No. 2, 127-137,
June 2002
© Oxford University Press 2002
Promoting physical activity in women: evaluation of a 2-year community-based intervention in Sydney, Australia
Health Promotion Unit, Central Sydney Area Health Service, L4 Queen Mary Building, Grose St, Camperdown, NSW 2050, 1 Health Promotion Branch, NSW Health LMB 961, North Sydney 2059, 2 Cancer Council, PO Box 572, Kings Cross, NSW 2011, Australia, 3 Department of Community Health Science, University of Calgary, Canada, 4 NSW Institute of Sports Medicine, Concord Hospital, NSW 2047, 5 Concord Council, NSW 2047 and 6 Epidemiology Unit, SWSAHS, Locked Bag 7017 Liverpool BC, NSW 1871, Australia
Address for correspondence: Dr Li Ming Wen Senior Research and Evaluation Officer Health Promotion Unit Central Sydney Area Health Service Level 4 Queen Mary Building Grose St, Camperdown NSW 2050 Australia E-mail: lmwen{at}email.cs.nsw.gov.au
Women are less likely than men to reach recommended levels of physical activity and have unequal access to active leisure time. Studies in Australia have consistently found that women are only half as likely as men to be adequately active. A community-based multi-strategic health promotion intervention, ‘Concord, A Great Place to be Active’, was implemented from 1997 to 1999. It aimed to increase the physical activity levels of women aged 20–50 years living in the Concord Local Government Area (LGA), an inner-western region of Sydney, Australia. A key feature of this intervention was a partnership between Concord Council (the local government) and the Central Sydney Health Promotion Unit (CSHPU). The project was evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. Key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted to inform the development of the intervention and to assess the impact of the project on Concord Council. Pre- and post-intervention telephone surveys of the target group were also conducted. Following the intervention, there was a statistically significant (6.4%) reduction in the proportion of sedentary women. Further, there were a number of positive enhancements in the Council's capacity to promote physical activity in the community. These findings demonstrate that a community-based intervention targeting a specific population can achieve positive changes in physical activity and that a local government has the capacity to be involved in and sustain physical activity interventions.
Key words: health promotion; physical activity; women
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Lorentzen, Y. Ommundsen, A. K. Jenum, and I. Holme The "Romsas in Motion" Community Intervention: Mediating Effects of Psychosocial Factors on Forward Transition in the Stages of Change in Physical Activity Health Educ Behav, April 1, 2009; 36(2): 348 - 365. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. Burgoyne, R. Coleman, and I. J. Perry Walking in a city neighbourhood, paving the way J. Public Health Med., September 1, 2007; 29(3): 222 - 229. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. Fisher, D. Dowding, K. E. Pickett, and F. Fylan Health promotion at NHS breast cancer screening clinics in the UK Health Promot. Int., June 1, 2007; 22(2): 137 - 145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. J. Smith, N. W. Cheung, A. E. Bauman, K. Zehle, and M. McLean Postpartum Physical Activity and Related Psychosocial Factors Among Women With Recent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Care, November 1, 2005; 28(11): 2650 - 2654. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. W. Franks, U. Ekelund, S. Brage, M.-Y. Wong, and N. J. Wareham Does the Association of Habitual Physical Activity With the Metabolic Syndrome Differ by Level of Cardiorespiratory Fitness? Diabetes Care, May 1, 2004; 27(5): 1187 - 1193. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|