Factors Contributing to Women's Ability to Maintain a Walking Program.

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study is to determine what strategies were most helpful for women to begin and maintain a walking program.

Method: Data from the field notes of a randomized clinical trial to promote walking in 97 women were used for the qualitative analysis discussed in this article.

Findings: Overall, the majority of participants met the study goal of walking 90 minutes per week.

Conclusions: In addition, the participants reported other benefits, including becoming more physically fit, mental and emotional satisfaction, and stress reduction. Some of the barriers mentioned by participants were personal and/or professional obligations, weather, injuries and/or illnesses, and psychosocial factors. When benefits outweighed barriers, the participants had greater success meeting their walking goals.

Implications: Furthermore, the participants stated that making time, problem solving, internal motivation, and the support of family and/or friends were the most helpful factors in achieving their walking goals.