Assessing Community Health Workers’ acceptability of a physical activity brief intervention protocol: a pilot study
1
Department of Medical Practice, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
2
Division of Public Health Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
3
Department of Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
4
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, University of the Witwatersrand, Johanneburg, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1537
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Physical activity is a priority focus in managing noncommunicable chronic disorders. The role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) as health promoters in under-resourced communities such as Soweto in South Africa is currently being examined as part of a doctoral study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ongoing support on CHWs’ acceptability of implementing a physical activity brief intervention. CHWs at two primary healthcare facilities in Soweto, South Africa, received structured training in promoting physical activity (PA). Thereafter they were separated by facility into a Control and Intervention group. The intervention group (n=15, 47.8±7y, 80% women) received ongoing support from a Biokineticist (a clinical exercise specialist) over a 12-week period while the control group (n=26, 44.5±7.7y, 96% women) did not. The intervention comprised individualised supervisory support during home visits, group-based refresher sessions, and provision of PA resources. Acceptability was assessed after 12 weeks, to compare supervised and unsupervised implementation contexts. Cross-sectional data were generated using an adapted version of Sekhon, Cartwright & Francis’ Theoretical Framework of Acceptability questionnaire. In addition to their constructs, we assessed CHWs’ perception of workload and the value this added to their patients. As the data were not normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk test, p<0.05), the Mann–Whitney U Test was utilised to assess differences between the Intervention and Control groups. Ongoing support did not significantly alter acceptability (p>0.05), which remained high in both groups. The modal response for overall acceptability was “acceptable” (Intervention Group: Median=4, IQR=1; Control Group: Median=4, IQR=0). Ongoing Support did not adversely affect CHWs’ acceptability, suggesting that task-shifted PA interventions are acceptable with or without intensive support input. While acceptability of PA promotion among CHWs was high irrespective of support input by a Biokineticist in this study, it may support implementation quality and warrants consideration within District Health Systems.
Physical activity is a priority focus in managing noncommunicable chronic disorders. The role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) as health promoters in under-resourced communities such as Soweto in South Africa is currently being examined as part of a doctoral study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ongoing support on CHWs’ acceptability of implementing a physical activity brief intervention. CHWs at two primary healthcare facilities in Soweto, South Africa, received structured training in promoting physical activity (PA). Thereafter they were separated by facility into a Control and Intervention group. The intervention group (n=15, 47.8±7y, 80% women) received ongoing support from a Biokineticist (a clinical exercise specialist) over a 12-week period while the control group (n=26, 44.5±7.7y, 96% women) did not. The intervention comprised individualised supervisory support during home visits, group-based refresher sessions, and provision of PA resources. Acceptability was assessed after 12 weeks, to compare supervised and unsupervised implementation contexts. Cross-sectional data were generated using an adapted version of Sekhon, Cartwright & Francis’ Theoretical Framework of Acceptability questionnaire. In addition to their constructs, we assessed CHWs’ perception of workload and the value this added to their patients. As the data were not normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk test, p<0.05), the Mann–Whitney U Test was utilised to assess differences between the Intervention and Control groups. Ongoing support did not significantly alter acceptability (p>0.05), which remained high in both groups. The modal response for overall acceptability was “acceptable” (Intervention Group: Median=4, IQR=1; Control Group: Median=4, IQR=0). Ongoing Support did not adversely affect CHWs’ acceptability, suggesting that task-shifted PA interventions are acceptable with or without intensive support input. While acceptability of PA promotion among CHWs was high irrespective of support input by a Biokineticist in this study, it may support implementation quality and warrants consideration within District Health Systems.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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