Enhancing physical activity participation among female employees: evaluating the effectiveness of an educational intervention.

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on the transtheoretical model aimed at increasing physical activity (PA) participation among female employees in Bandar Abbas city (Iran) healthcare centers in December 2017 and August 2018. Using a semi-experimental interventional study design with a randomized and multi-stage method, 100 participants were included in both the intervention (n = 50) and control groups (n = 50). Data collection involved questionnaires assessing demographic information (age, gender, marital status and education), stages of change in PA behavior, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and Self-efficacy. The data were analyzed using SPSS-16, employing both descriptive (mean, SD, frequency, percentage) and inferential statistics (t-tests, chi-squared tests, etc.). Prior to the educational intervention, 19 participants (0.38%) in the intervention group engaged consistently in PA (stages 4-5). After 3 and 6 months of intervention, these numbers increased to 29 (0.58%) and 25 (0.50%), respectively. This improvement was statistically significant compared to the pre-intervention stage (P < 0.001). The findings highlight the importance of theory-based behavior change models and health education programs in promoting PA and combating sedentary lifestyles. Although focused on a specific population in Bandar Abbas, the intervention can serve as a model for similar programs targeting diverse social classes and populations.

Comparing the effect of lecture and Jigsaw teaching strategies on the nursing students' self-regulated learning and academic motivation: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: In cooperative learning approach, the active and direct involvement of the learner in the learning process leads to a comprehensive development. Self-regulated learning and academic motivation focus on the role of the individual in the teaching-learning process. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the comparing of lecture and Jigsaw teaching strategies on the nursing students' self-regulated learning and academic motivation. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental conducted from January to November 2018 on 94 nursing students in the fourth education semester in two classrooms. A classroom was randomly assigned to the lecture group and the other as a Jigsaw group. The data collection tools were demographic data questionnaire, self-regulated learning questionnaire, and academic motivation scale. The interventions were lecture and Jigsaw teaching strategy for seven sessions lasting for 2 h in the lecture and Jigsaw groups respectively. Data was collected before and after the interventions. Finally, data was analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test, paired t-test, independent t-test via the PASW-22 software. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of self-regulated learning and academic motivation before the interventions (P = 0.59, P = 0.38), but after the interventions, the mean scores of self-regulated learning and academic motivation were significantly different in Jigsaw group from that of the lecture group (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The Jigsaw teaching strategy can be used for nursing student's theoretical education to improve the self-regulated learning and academic motivation.

Comparing the Effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Physical Activity on Pregnant Women's General Health.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is important because maternal health and well-being directly affects another person's life. This study aimed to compare the effects of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and physical activity (PA) on the general health of pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among 96 primiparous women enrolled in a prenatal clinic in Tehran (Iran) between May 3, 2013 and August 7, 2013. The participants were selected through convenience sampling over 3 weeks and randomly assigned to the PMR, PA, and control groups, comprising 32 participants each. Six participants did not complete the follow-up measurement (N = 90). The PMR group underwent three sessions of 1.5-2 h in theoretical and practical training, and in the PMR group, training was given in groups of three to four persons. Both groups performed exercises at home for 8 weeks and recorded them in daily report sheets. The general health of all three groups was assessed before and after intervention by using the General Health Questionnaire-28. RESULTS: Differences in the mean (SD) general health scores obtained before and after intervention in the PMR, PA, and control groups were 15.63 (5.73), 19.11 (7.79), and 8.27 (2.14), respectively. One-way analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups (F = 28.10; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As the study results confirm the positive effects of PMR and PA on the subscales of the general health of pregnant women, the two techniques are recommended to promote the general health of pregnant women.