ABSTRACT
This study aimed to verify the users’ adherence to physical activity groups conducted by physical therapists at primary health care (PHC) and their related factors. This is a cross-sectional quantitative study. A semi-structured questionnaire and an adapted adherence questionnaire were applied, which investigate general factors, motivators, and obstacles that can affect adherence. The sample was divided into three groups according to adherence: 1-30% of frequency in 6 months as low adherence; 31 to 70% as medium adherence; and above 71% as high adherence. The groups were compared by Kruskal-Wallis and ANOVA tests, and the association was evaluated by multinomial logistic regression. Regarding adherence results, 46.8% of the sample had low, 42.2% medium, and 11% high adherence among the 154 participants, with a mean age of 58.98±11.54 years for general factors, barriers and motivators were different (p<0.05) between groups, and lower reporting of general non-adherence factors reduced the chance of medium adherence to groups. The longer participation time in the groups increased the chance of average and high adherence across the sample. We conclude that the knowledge of the factors that positively affect adherence, such as time of participation, willingness, and interest, facilitate the development of strategies by PHC professionals for its maintenance. The results showed that there are factors that affect the adherence of groups in PHC.
Keywords:
Motor Activity; Primary Health Care; Family Health Strategy; Physical Therapy