The importance of physical training is paramount for the prevention of a whole range of harmful diseases and conditions. Low levels of physical activity, among other problems, often result in excessive weight issues, which are highly prevalent among the citizens of the U.S. A study by Dombrowski, Knittle, Avenell, Araujo-Soares, and Sniehotta (2014) suggests that 28% of Americans are inclined to lose weight. Miller (2013) states that nurses as health providers have to promote health and wellbeing among patients. Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) will help test the hypothesis of whether or not patient education could help decrease inactivity. PICOT question is as follows: In patients of age group, 18 to 25 (P) who receive education regarding the importance of exercising 300 minutes per week (I) compared to a similar group who does not receive the education (C) will increase their present level of activity by 30%(O) by the end of a 6-month study (T).
Search Strategy
The primary sources of scientific evidence were Cochrane, Medline, and CINAHL. The evidence in the researched literature was level I, II, or III. These databases are accessible from the College library. Additionally, Google Scholar was tremendous help as many sources were found through its search engine. The search was conducted with the use of keywords such as physical inactivity, patient education, adults, obesity prevention, obesity management. For relevance purposes, the sources for this research were chosen to be not older than 5 years. Most of the literature is either evidence-based or peer-reviewed, which ensures the quality and validity of the user data (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2015).
Evidence Review and Synthesis
Dombrovsky et al. (2014) state that in adults aged 18 and older there is a significant prevalence of people who attempted to lose weight but either failed or achieved the small result. The authors reviewed 45 trials and concluded that despite behavioral methods usually used by individuals achieving a small result, the weight changes were nonetheless significant for health and wellbeing due to forming a positive pattern. The study implications include medical counseling or patient education as a measure to increase the effectiveness of the weight-loss
Stanhope and Lancaster (2014) report a 15% decrease in levels of physical activity among young people of 18 to 25 years old. The authors have found the connections between this fact and harmful environmental and behavioral indicators such as air pollution, malnutrition, work or study stress, and other factors. The need for quality medical attention was specified as one of the possible solutions.
Henson et al. (2013) suggest that sedentary behaviors typical for a large portion of middle-aged and older adults increase the risk for developing diabetes. The study used objective measurements of the population such as data from portable accelerometers given to 827 people. On the other hand, active breaks in sedentary lifestyle were associated with positive cardiovascular metrics which speaks to the need for regular exercise promotion.
The theoretical basis of the study, which includes all levels of evidence, has indicated the high prevalence of health issues associated with limited physical activity. Many researchers suggest that proper education is needed to prevent and manage weight-related issues (Henson et al. (2013); Stanhope and Lancaster (2014); Dombrovsky et al. (2014)). This proves the presence of the scientific and practical issue the current project is aiming to address.
Project Aim
The goal of the current project is to determine if patient education on the importance of physical exercises increases the patients’ activity levels at least by 30%. Significantly lower levels will be considered insignificant. The assessment of the impact that nurses have on patients in terms of education will have a positive contribution to theory and practice. The use of this education technique in practice will also enable me to develop as a professional APRN, provided the outcomes for an EBP are positive.
Methodology
The appropriate methodology for the current aim was chosen on the basis of the limited resources the author has. A quasi-experimental controlled design will be chosen as a technique to test the intervention. A quantitative method such as a survey will be used to assess pre-and-post-intervention status of physical activities in patients.
Sample
Two groups with 40 patients each (total: 80) will be selected for this study. People eligible to participate are persons 18-25 years of age. No relevant perquisites to sex, marital status, occupation, or diseases are considered exclusionary for this study except conditions that prohibit active movement. The latter may be true for instance for post-operation patients and mothers in later stages of pregnancy (certain exercises are ill-advised). One group of patients will receive education about the importance of physical activity for at least 300 minutes a week. The other group will not receive such a lection. To safeguard privacy participants’ names or other personal details will not be collected and/or disclosed to third parties (Mazumdar et al., 2014).
Setting
A clinical setting will be used for the current study. Specifically, the evaluation surveys and short lectures will be administered to patients in the clinic where the author currently conducts practice.
Intervention
To educate patients on the benefits of physical exercises, a brochure with relevant information is given to the patient during his or her visit to a clinic. This will be the main intervention tool. The brochure will contain information on what physical and social benefits regular physical activities bring. The handouts will be made in different colors to clearly outline key information. Giving a handout, a nurse should comment on why it is important to look it through.
Pre-post Intervention Evaluation
Before handing the brochure the nurse will ask an alleged participant to give his consent to participate in trials. Upon receiving such consent a nurse will gather demographics such as age, sex, diagnosed conditions, and illnesses that can hinder moving capabilities (present or not). In addition, the tool will gauge weekly physical activity. Finally, the tool will require participants to leave an email address for a follow-up. Such information will provide a baseline status of the patient. Post-evaluation will be administered online by means of an electronic survey. It will be sent to the patient by e-mail collected during the pre-evaluation stage. Microsoft Excel will be used to store the gathered data in a form of a table. SPSS statistical analysis tool will be used to calculate mean and mode and percentage for each value and for comparing the numerical values of physical activity from the pre-and-post study. The ultimate project success measure is the percentile difference of self-reported post-intervention of weekly exercise (in minutes) in the intervention group as compared to the control group.
Implementation Plan
At the commencement stage, the author during its practice will gather two groups of a total of 80 participants within the above-specified age. The sex variation will be within a 60/40 ratio to ensure statistical validity (Noble and Smith, 2015). After the pre-evaluation is done and groups are assembled, the prepared brochures will be administered either manually to patients who visited the clinic a second time or sent by email to those who do not have a scheduled visit at the nearest time. The day each patient received the brochure with information will be recorded. After six months since the day of education intervention, an email with a short post-intervention survey is sent to each participant. One week is allocated to waiting for a response. The results are calculated and presented in the form of a study report.
Outcomes Dissemination
Once the report is ready, the results will be reorganized into a form appropriate for publishing in a college scientific paper or a scientific peer-reviewed journal. If the desired outcomes are achieved, a new EBP practice will be implemented into the author’s practice. Clinical authorities will be notified of the results of the study and its possible effects on daily practice. Provided, the officials exhibit interest in the intervention made a regular practice, a working group will be created to devise a new version of an official clinic brochure for patients.
References
Dombrowski, S. U., Knittle, K., Avenell, A., Araujo-Soares, V., & Sniehotta, F. F. (2014). Long term maintenance of weight loss with non-surgical interventions in obese adults: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 348, 1-12.
Henson, J., Yates, T., Biddle, S. J. H., Edwardson, C. L., Khunti, K., Wilmot, E. G.,… Davies, M. J. (2013). Associations of objectively measured sedentary behaviour and physical activity with markers of cardiometabolic health. Diabetologia, 56(5), 1012-1020.
Humphreys, B. R., McLeod, L., & Ruseski, J. E. (2014). Physical activity and health outcomes: Evidence from Canada. Health Economics, 23(1), 33-54.
Mazumdar, S., Konings, P., Hewett, M., Bagheri, N., McRae, I., & Del Fante, P. (2014). Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 38(6), 548-552.
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-based practice in nursing and healthcare: A guide to best practice (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer
Miller, C. A. (2013). Fast facts for health promotion in nursing: Promoting wellness in a nutshell. New York, NY: Springer.
Noble, H., & Smith, J. (2015) Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence Based Nursing, 18(2), 34-35
Prince, S. A., Saunders, T. J., Gresty, K., & Reid, R. D. (2014). A comparison of the effectiveness of physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions in reducing sedentary time in adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled trials. Obesity Reviews, 15(11), 905-919.
Reiner, M., Niermann, C., Jekauc, D., & Woll, A. (2013). Long-term health benefits of physical activity – A systematic review of longitudinal studies. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-9.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2014). Public health nursing: Population-Centered health care in the community (8th ed.). New York, NY: Elsevier.