The College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad discussed the master’s thesis by researcher Sajad Majid Salman, titled “The Readiness of Older Adults to Engage in Regular Physical Exercise: The Theory of Change Model as a Theoretical Framework.”
The study primarily aimed to determine the distribution of participating older adults according to the stages of behavioral change and their readiness to engage in regular exercise based on the Transtheoretical Model, and to assess the association of this with the health and demographic characteristics of the sample.
The study’s results and conclusions showed that more than half of the participants had a normal weight-to-height ratio, followed by the overweight group. The results also revealed that more than one-third of the sample were in the “precontemplation” stage, followed by those in the “contemplation” stage, highlighting the critical importance of cognitive-behavioral interventions based on psychological processes and meaning-making to motivate this group toward physical activity.
Based on the study’s findings and implications, the study recommended the need to design nursing and health programs and interventions aimed at removing barriers associated with aging and avoiding age-related assumptions, while intensifying health awareness campaigns directed at older adults in the stages of reflection and contemplation, and providing integrated environmental and community support that reinforces individual psychological interventions to ensure continuity in the practice of physical activities.
Following an extensive academic discussion, the researcher’s efforts culminated in the thesis being awarded a distinction.
The findings of this study are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals that the College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad seeks to promote, particularly Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), by promoting the health of older adults and supporting strategies for healthy and active aging in the community.
