Effects of the Goal Attainment Exercise Program on Adherence to Exercise and Muscle Size Among Patients with Lower Extremity Fracture
Keywords:
Adherence to exercise, Goal attainment exercise, Lower extremity fracture, Muscle sizeAbstract
Patients with lower limb fractures are required to exercise regularly to maintain muscle mass. This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effects of a goal attainment-based exercise program on exercise adherence and thigh muscle size in patients with lower limb fractures. Thirty patients with lower limb fractures were purposively selected and randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group and a control group with 15 participants each. The research instrument was a goal attainment-based exercise program developed by the researcher based on King’s Goal Attainment Theory and a literature review. Exercise adherence was measured by an exercise adherence record form, which was also developed by the researcher. Thigh muscle size was measured as thigh circumference in centimeters. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and repeated measures ANOVA.
Research results showed that:
1. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher exercise adherence than the control group (p < .001), with 10 participants in the experimental group adhering to the exercise program compared to only two in the control group.
2. When comparing thigh muscle size at the first follow-up visit to the first day of hospitalization, the experimental group showed a slight reduction in muscle size (mean difference = -1.15, SD = 1.49), while the control group experienced a greater reduction (mean difference = -2.16, SD = 1.67). However, the change in muscle size in the control group was not statistically significant.
The findings revealed the effectiveness of this goal attainment-based exercise program in improving exercise adherence. Nurses could apply this program to promote exercise adherence among patients with lower limb fractures.
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