Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Implementation Of A Home-Based Walking Program To Address Cancer-Related Fatigue, Mary Catherine Hyatt, Karen Lasater, Michelle Payne

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Abstract

Background: The non-treatment of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in adult oncology patients on treatment is a clinical practice issue identified globally and at the local Hematology and Oncology Clinic. Despite the growing evidence supporting physical activity to address CRF, this problem remains prominent. Objective: An 8-week home-based walking program was implemented at the local clinic to address this problem. This project aimed to increase the prevalence of managing CRF and reduce the severity of CRF. Methods: With the provider's recommendation, adult oncology patients on active treatment at the Hematology and Oncology Clinic registered for the program in …

Combating The Sedentary Lifestyle In A Rural North Carolina Community, Kelsey Toliver Watts

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

A rural North Carolina community is experiencing an increase in inactivity, obesity, and comorbidities. The project leader collaborated with the local health department and recreation department to implement community walking events. The events aimed to promote physical activity while providing education to the residents as to why physical activity is important. The project leader used optional pre-walking event and post-walking event surveys to assess activity change and increased knowledge. Out of the 90 attendees, 68% completed the pre-event survey and 14% responded to the post-event survey. This created limited data available for follow-up. All participants who completed the follow-up plan …

Mental Health Benefits Of Physical Activity In Older Adults, Adrian Kurt Zitzmann

Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner

Physical activity is the fountain of youth, strengthening both the physical body as well as the mind, leading to better emotional stability and a general sense of well-being. The population over age 65 is nearing retirement age and are transitioning from a high paced work and family life to a slower and less active “empty nest” lifestyle. Among adults over age 65, will implementing an exercise program for 30 minutes per day increase mental well-being? The benefits of physical activity will be supported by gathering a group of older adults ages 65 and up from a local retirement community to …

Implementing A Structured Walking Program For Prek Through 8th Grade Teachers, Caitlin M. Kile, Robin Harris, Robin Bowden

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Physical inactivity has become a significant health concern not only in the United States but worldwide. Adults are becoming sedentary due to sitting at work and school, computer use, and motorized transportation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers experienced increased workloads, increased sedentary work time for virtual classes, and longer work hours. A PreK-8^th grade school system in the southeastern United States had health promotion and prevention programs for students but no health and wellness programs for teachers. Wellness programs can promote physical health and less worker absenteeism. At the completion of a 12-week walking program, the teacher's weekly time …

Walking To Improve Outcomes In Patients With Type Ii Diabetes, Kelley Leigh Sanders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Walking is a simple, feasible, and effective exercise modality in which providers can instruct patients as a component of type II diabetic treatment plans. Many patients are overwhelmed when given instructions to exercise and therefore never begin. Lack of exercise contributes to poor glycemic control and adverse outcomes. Also, gym memberships can be expensive resulting in patients forgoing exercise altogether. The purpose of this DNP scholarly project was to conduct research outcomes which may enlighten providers to prescribe exercise interventions by providing evidence walking 45 minutes three times a week can improve glycemic control among type II diabetic patients. Also, …

Walking Is Worthy: Walking For Hypertension, Ashleigh Y. Peterson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Elevated blood pressure (BP), or hypertension (HTN), can cause a cascade of detrimental effects to the body. It is associated with increased risk of stroke, angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, end-stage renal disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysms (Whelton et al., 2018). HTN is also a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the United States’ (U.S.) leading cause of death in men and women (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [USPSTF], 2020). The PICOT question for this project was: does an eight-week (T) structured walking program utilizing a smartwatch for step counts and …

Exercise As Self-Care To Combat Nurse Burnout, Jessica Petefish

Theses and Graduate Projects

The demands on nurses continue to grow, inducing stress and other symptoms of burnout. Nurse burnout can cause short and long term physiological and psychological symptoms. Nurse burnout not only affects nurses but has implications for patients and hospitals as well. Exercise has been proven to have many health benefits and the ability to alleviate symptoms of burnout. Nurses on a hematology/oncology unit cited burnout as their reason for leaving the unit. This project proposes a walking program as a self-care method to reduce symptoms of nurse burnout. Utilizing Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and her idea of self-care …

Process Evaluation Of An Email-Based Walking Program With Extension Educators, Elizabeth Richards

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

This study evaluated the implementation process of an email-based walking program from the perspectives of program deliverers. Twenty-four Extension Educators participated in the process evaluation. We used an online survey to examine the perceptions of the implementation process of Get WalkIN’, a twelve-week email-based walking program. Educators agreed that the provided program training and recruitment materials were sufficient for successful program delivery. Program implementation involved sending emails to program participants at least weekly. Educators also agreed that the program was easy to deliver and took twenty minutes or less to implement each week. Strengths and areas for program improvement are …

Statewide Dissemination Of An Evidenced-Based Email Walking Program Delivered Through Cooperative Extension, Elizabeth A. Richards, Stephanie Woodcox, Anna Forster

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Using the RE-AIM framework, this study evaluates the statewide dissemination of an evidenced-based, email-delivered physical activity intervention implemented through Cooperative Extension. The Get WalkIN' program is comprised of 16 email messages sent over 12 weeks. Email messages target social cognitive theory constructs of self-efficacy, goal-setting, self-monitoring, and social support. Program reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance were assessed with quantitative measures in a pre-post design. Findings indicate that within the Extension system, program adoption was high and program maintenance was moderate. Program effectiveness was demonstrated with an increase of 77.1 ± 49.9 min in weekly walking post-program. This increase in …

Walking For Our Health: Couple-Focused Interventions To Promote Physical Activity In Older Adults, Melissa M. Franks, Elizabeth A. Richards, Meghan H. Mcdonough, Sharon L. Christ, Mary E. Marshall

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

More than 50% of U.S. adults do not engage in sufficient physical activity to meet current recommendations, making physical activity change and maintenance a priority for health promotion throughout adulthood. Among married partners, change in physical activity of one partner often is concordant with change of activity of the other. The primary purpose of this study was to examine two couple-focused interventions that capitalize on the co-occurrence of health behavior change within couples to promote physical activity in older adults. In this study, partners (N = 31 couples) participated together in assessment and intervention activities, and were randomized together into …

State Of The Art Review: Promoting Dog Walking For Healthy Lifestyles, Hayley Christian, Adrian Bauman, Jacqueline Epping, Glenn N. Levine, Gavin Mccormack, Ryan E. Rhodes, Elizabeth Richards, Melanie Rock, Carri Westgarth

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, including the prevention of many chronic diseases and conditions or a reduction in their adverse effects. Intervention studies suggest that promoting dog walking among dog owners who do not routinely walk their dogs may be an effective strategy for increasing and maintaining regular physical activity. Strategies that emphasize the value of dog walking for both dogs and people, promote the context-dependent repetition of dog walking, enhance the social-interaction benefits, encourage family dog walking and ensure availability of public space for dog walking may encourage increased dog walking. Research also supports organizing …

The Evolution Of Physical Activity Promotion, Elizabeth Richards

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Overview: A physically active lifestyle has numerous physical and mental health benefits for patients of all ages. Despite these significant benefits, a majority of Americans do not meet current physical activity guidelines. Health care providers, especially nurses, play a vital role in physical activity promotion. Over the past several decades, exercise and physical activity guidelines have evolved from a focus on structured, vigorous exercise to a focus on moderate-intensity “lifestyle” physical activity. The author updates nurses on physical activity guidelines and provides tips for promoting physical activity, with a focus on lifestyle activities such as walking to work. This article …

Gender Differences In Neighborhood Walking In Older Adults, N. A. Gallagher, P. J. Clarke, Kimberlee A. Gretebeck

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: This study examined mobility, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, neighborhood (density, destinations, and design), and neighborhood walking in older men (n = 106, 60-99 years, M = 76.78, SD = 8.12) and women (n = 216, 60-99 years, M = 75.81, SD = 8.46).

Method/Results: In hierarchical regression, the variables explained 32% of the variance in neighborhood walking in men (p < .001) and 27% of the variance in women (p < .01). Self-efficacy (β = .49, p < .01), density (β= .22, p < .05), and design (β= .21, p = .05) were associated with walking in men. Significant design characteristics included sidewalks (β= .25, p < .05) and crime (β= .36, p < .01). In women, self-efficacy (β= .48, p < .001) and destinations (β= .15, p < .05) were associated with walking. Walking was associated with self-efficacy for walking despite individual barriers in women (β= .38, p < .001) and neighborhood barriers in men (β= .30, p < .05).

Conclusion: Walking interventions targeting older women should incorporate local destinations. In older …

Dog Ownership And Physical Activity: A Review Of The Evidence., Hayley E. Christian, Carri Westgarth, Adrian Bauman, Elizabeth Richards, Ryan E. Rhodes, Kelly R. Evenson, Joni A. Mayer, Roland J. Thorpe Jr

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background:

Dog walking is a strategy for increasing population levels of physical activity (PA). Numerous cross-sectional studies of the relationship between dog ownership and PA have been conducted. The purpose was to review studies comparing PA of dog owners (DO) to non-dog owners (NDO), summarize the prevalence of dog walking, and provide recommendations for research.

Methods:

A review of published studies (1990-2010) examining DO and NDO PA and the prevalence of dog walking was conducted (N=29). Studies estimating the relationship between dog ownership and PA were grouped to create a point-estimate using meta-analysis.

Results:

Most studies were conducted in the …

An Exercise Program To Improve Fall-Related Outcomes In Elderly Nursing Home Residents, Deborah Schoenfelder, L. Rubenstein

Deborah P. Schoenfelder

This study tested a 3-month ankle-strengthening and walking program designed to improve or maintain the fall-related outcomes of balance, ankle strength, walking speed, risk of falling, fear of falling, and confidence to perform daily activities without falling (falls efficacy) in elderly nursing home residents. Nursing home residents (N = 81) between the ages of 64 and 100 years participated in the study. Two of the fall-related outcomes, balance and fear of falling, were maintained or improved for the exercise group in comparison to the control group.

A Progressive Postresection Walking Program Significantly Improves Fatigue And Health-Related Quality Of Life In Pancreas And Periampullary Cancer Patients., Theresa Yeo, Sherry A Burrell, Patricia K Sauter, Eugene P Kennedy, Harish Lavu, Benjamin E Leiby, Charles Yeo

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

BACKGROUND: As patients with pancreas and periampullary cancer (PPC) experience improved survival rates and longevity, the focus shifts toward living life while surviving cancer. Fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom in all cancer patients. Exercise has been found to effectively decrease fatigue levels and improve physical functioning in cancer patients.

STUDY DESIGN: One hundred two patients with resected PPC consented to participate in this study and were randomized to either an intervention group (IG) or a usual care group (UCG). Subjects completed visual analog scales, the FACIT-Fatigue Scale and the Short Form-36v2 after surgery and again 3 to 6 …