Why are the authors doing this study? Why is this important? What is the purpose of this study? This information is found at the beginning of the article, normally in the introduction.
The authors of this article conducted the study to give insight into the importance of considering homeless people in the society they belong. Additionally, they wanted to show the benefits of fitness intervention programs in any given society. The importance of the study was to encourage people to have inclusivity of the destitute in their society.
Give an overview of the “methods” the researchers followed. What type of study design was it? Who was involved in the study? (age, gender, sample size, other criteria) How many? What did the researchers have the participants do? Was there an intervention program or did the researchers just observe? Did participants complete a survey?
The researchers followed qualitative and quantitative study methods in this study. This was a collective study as it involved mixed methods of research. The study involved 150 tenants, both male and female of any age. The researchers had the participants enroll and maintain consistency in a fitness intervention program. There was an intervention program that involved participation in wellness activities. The participants completed no surveys but had to answer questions in interviews.
Briefly explain the results of the study. What did the researchers measure? What did they find to be significant? How did the variables in the study impact the results?
The intervention program presented positive outcomes since the participants were willing to take part in the exercise sessions. Many participants gave positive feedback regarding the benefits of the exercise on their mental and social lives. There was a great impact on the results by the variables, for example, the resources were inadequate thus hindering more positive outcomes from the program.
Briefly explain the discussion section of the study. This is where the researchers explain the significance of their findings. What does this mean for professionals or practitioners? How should we use the information they found in the study?
The findings in this study were of great significance for various reasons. The outcomes showed the importance of including the destitute people in the various communal activities. Experts and practitioners should advocate and embrace the use of such intervention programs to enhance inclusivity in society. The programs are also beneficial in improving physical, mental, and social wellness in any population.
What critique do you have of the article? Was the sample size small? If there was an intervention, did it make sense? Was the intervention administered over a long enough period of time to see a change? Were the participants the same or diverse?
Don’t forget to address these two items in your paper! You don’t need to write about them on this sheet but you MUST have them in your paper.
Critique
The sample size for this research only included 24 people, which is a considerably low number a study. In addition, the number of attendances differed significantly over the 8-week period, as shown by the figure 1 (Sofija et al., 2018). The intervention was designed in order to promote strength-based approaches, improving the condition of the target demographic. The use of fitness exercise made sense as a tool of addressing both mental and physical wellness, while also bringing a sense of community. 8 weeks of fitness exercise within the target population showed promising results towards restorative approaches to homelessness, addiction and poverty. The range of participants was considerably diverse, with white, indigenous and other people ranging from 24 to 71 years old. In terms of gender, males and females were included, with the latter outnumbering the former.
With the benefits of this intervention, there were still some limitations. The activities were conducted jointly preventing opportunities for personalized care (Sofija et al., 2018). Maybe some people would have wanted to participate for social benefits but instead took part for physical benefits. There were limited resources in terms of staff and training equipment. There is a high prevalence of health concerns in this particular populace thus a high need for personalized interventions.
Impacts of the Article on Personal Behavior
From the information presented in this article, I can easily transform my behavior. I learned the benefits of persistence from the dedication of the tenants. Teamwork was also a good lesson from this article since the positive results were out of collaboration. In this case, I plan to be persistent in every positive engagement of my life. Additionally, I will embrace teamwork in my activities so I can realize positive outcomes.
What is the in-text citation for your article? See next page for help. (Sofija et al., 2018)
What is the reference page citation for your article? See next page for help. Sofija, E., Plugge, M., Wiseman, N., & Harris, N. (2018). ‘This is the beginning of the new me’: Process evaluation of a group fitness intervention to promote wellbeing in formerly homeless individuals. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-14.
Article Summary
Currently, homelessness has become a critical issue in many countries as the number of homeless people increases day by day. Destitute people face a lot of blames as society views that the people are the cause of their situations. Studies pertaining to the issue of destituteness have majorly emphasized the failure and risk aspects of an individual (Sofija et al., 2018). Many societies consider homeless people as a burden to the community thus directing little or no attention to the ability within this population. Many destitute persons have been termed as incapable thus ignoring any positive contribution they could bring to society. There are limited approaches to engaging homeless people in strength-based and communal activities within many societies.
Methods
This article presents research on program assessment of an eight-week joint fitness approach within a caring housing institution. The major purpose of the strategy was to promote sustenance and collective interaction with a view to assist people to take part in various societal activities. The fitness approach was conducted in southeast Australia where a large number of people were homeless or at high risk of destituteness. The facility used provides cheap housing and vital services, for example, support, nutrition, volunteering, and security. The assessment emphasized seven major constituents: setting, contentment, enrollment, dose established, involvement, dose delivered, and commitment. The methods of data collection used comprised observation, recording of attendees, and interviews between partakers and staff.
Results
In the aspect of settings, important information on the society, the environment, organization, and situation were considered so that implementation of the fitness approach would be successful. Many participants, both staff and tenants were contented with the facility. The target population was destitute people and their attendance throughout the eight weeks was well recorded by the workout physiologist. Enrollment was done through distributed notices in the facility letterboxes for access by all tenants. Regular meetings were conducted before every exercise session where any willing tenant was given a chance to partake and learn the details and objective of the intervention. Moreover, information was passed by word by the agents of the facility. A lot of tenants joined the intervention program and were ready to continue to week eight (Sofija et al., 2018). In the feature of dose conveyed, numerous activities were performed during the whole intervention program. Participants would engage in various physical activities, such as squats, bicep curls, push-ups, balance activities, and stretches. The tenants were very willing to take all the exercises consistently till the end of the program. Three volunteer physiologists offered time for training the tenants and ensured the availability of at least one in every session. On the matters of dose acquired, the major concern was on the consistency and participation in the exercise sessions.
Outcomes
Attendance and participation were reported positively throughout the eight weeks’ exercise sessions. Since the start of the program, participants showed great contentment with the exercise sessions and they took the program seriously. The group exercise sessions were beneficial to the participants because they had an opportunity to widen and strengthen social networks. Additionally, positive outcomes from the intervention were noted as participants were able to improve their physical and emotional health.
Impact of Results
The behavior of an individual could have a great impact on society at large. In this intervention, the actions of a trainer helped to enhance the physical, social, and mental wellness of this population. The staff involved also had a direct impact on positive responses towards the exercise sessions among the tenants. Similarly, the consistency of attendance by every member was a great motivation for the other members to participate in the program. Positive feedback from the participants encouraged the other tenants to continue taking part in the program.
Personal Impacts
From the information presented in this article, I can easily transform my behavior. I learned the benefits of persistence from the dedication of the tenants. Teamwork was also a good lesson from this article since the positive results were out of collaboration. In this case, I plan to be persistent in every positive engagement of my life. Additionally, I will embrace teamwork in my activities so I can realize positive outcomes.
Critique
With the benefits of this intervention, there were still some limitations. The activities were conducted jointly preventing opportunities for personalized care (Sofija et al., 2018). Maybe some people would have wanted to participate for social benefits but instead took part for physical benefits. There were limited resources in terms of staff and training equipment. There is a high prevalence of health concerns in this particular populace thus a high need for personalized interventions.
References
Sofija, E., Plugge, M., Wiseman, N., & Harris, N. (2018). ‘This is the beginning of the new me’: Process evaluation of a group fitness intervention to promote wellbeing in formerly homeless individuals. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-14.