Social inequality and physical activity – What do patients experience, and do they perceive e-based exercise to be the answer? – A Ph.D. study

Physical activity reduces the risk of disease and helps to maintain good health. There are, however, more and more people who do not meet the minimum recommendations for physical activity. Social inequality is found in health and health behavior, as people from a lower social position tend to be less physically active compared to those in a higher social position. Among persons that are physically inactive, there is a great demand for support to increase their level of physical activity. Therefore, the identification of barriers and facilitators is important in order to create person-centered efforts in healthcare, which to a greater extent recognizes the social disparities seen in physical activity. E-based exercise has been found to be effective and has several practical and financial benefits. It is, however, uncertain if vulnerable people will experience the same benefits of e-based exercise. Thus, efforts involving e-based exercise with the aim of increasing physical activity could potentially induce further inequality in health. This project aims to explore patient’s perspectives and experiences in becoming more physically active and to identify barriers and opportunities in the use of e-based exercise as a means to increase physical activity. The project will provide knowledge on how we in healthcare can support patients better in becoming more physically active despite social disparities.

Participants: This project is an affiliation between the research unit PROgrez and the Research Center for Health Promotion, Roskilde University, Denmark