The Importance of the Leisure Activities in Health Maintenance

Question: Write an Article on People Living Arthiritis. Answer: Introduction The aim of this article is to investigate the role of value activities which includes leisure, in promotion and maintenance of well-being and health of adults. It also sets a goal to study the processes employed by the persons with arthritis in their leisureliness to effectively cope up with their arthritis. Since little is known about the way the adults (older) use to continue their involvement in leisure activities to manage their arthritis. These practices are crucial to understanding the different ways used to choose, self-regulate, and adapt to the leisure activities for promoting their health. Here, we also want to explore the influence of environmental resources on individual self-management. Hence, to establish all the above goals different focus groups consisting of 34 members with arthritis between age 57 to 94 years. This investigation, research included adults dwelling in subsidized housing and residential communities. The transcripts of focus groups were examined by anal ysis of its content based on specific themes for selection, optimization, and compensation and found few differences in the use of strategy among resource-poor and resource-rich members. Adult participants highlighted the importance of the leisure activities in health maintenance. Based on different opinions shared by the focus groups, use of leisure in self-management with arthritis helped them to cope up with their pain and symptoms of arthritis as well as gaining benefits for proper mental health. The family was found to play an essential role in maintaining the quality of their life. The resource-rich individuals were more aware of using leisure activities for improving their health than the resource-poor individuals. This article enhanced the professional understanding of nursing practices of nursing trainee and introduced the ways to assist patients to maintain these leisure activities while they face any functional limitations (Janke, Jones, Payne, Son, 2012). Research methods and design Initially, the focus groups were chosen as the ways of facts collected for several purposes. Then opinions and ideas were developed through the communications among the participants. Focus groups were allowed to consider the themes in depth and increase the understanding of certain phenomena. This interaction aims to enrich the data quality by clearing out false views (Patton, 2002). It included most important theory-driven subjects in relation to arthritis and leisure employing the model of selective optimization with compensation. Twenty-three resources -rich adults (included middle and upper-income group) and eleven resource-poor adults (i.e., residing in lower income) were taken for study, including three focus groups of the former and two focus groups of the latter. After the completion of the survey on leisure and health, adults (with the diagnosis of arthritis) consent was taken to participate in theme discussion session and the adults chosen were made sure that they should not have any cognitive impairments. The session of focus group lasted for an hour, which was based on Krueger and Caseys (2009) guide for these focus groups. They first started the disc ussion on symptoms of arthritis followed by the meaning of arthritis to them in a leisure perspective and these all discussions were audiotaped with the members consent. The opinions shared by members were summarized on four important themes in relation to the individual arthritis and activities during leisure included (a) the influence of arthritis in adults participation in leisure activities; (b) the factor which influenced members decisions regarding continuing their leisure activities, or cease; (c) what are the efforts made to continue their participation in leisure activities; and (d) how the use of resources help adults to maintain participation despite arthritis signs. These themes guided the groups to establish interaction and also to expand the topics which were not included (Krueger Casey, 2009). After the completion of focus groups, discussion, the session representative provided a brief of the findings and the groups were asked to combine any uncovered theme which the y believed are important to conclude the accuracy of the findings. There are 4 to 8 members in focus groups and the session conducted by them are analyzed. Then the coding procedures are performed which included 3 research team members who broad the theoretical themes of elective-based choice, loss-based choice, compensation and optimization into text followed by code creation. This further helped in data analysis again and differences and similarities between the resource poor and resource rich group members. The coding was repeated again secondary to the data complexity and the coders discussed those statements which fit more than the other thematic code to determine the strategy used by adults for self-management in arthritis. The methods used are appropriate to reach two goals mentioned by the author. The finding of this research study included primary themes which were (a) concentrating on essential activities, (b) aspects of health promotion of leisure, (c) dedication to leisu re for well-being and health, (d) inspiration from set role models, (e) use of personal beliefs for self-motivation, (f) seizing opportunities, (g) changes in leisure activities, (h) application of external resources and aids, (i) reorganizing leisure participation and (j) social support. Here, (a) and (i) are selected which is loss based, (b) and (c) are elective selection, (d), (e), and (f) are optimization based selection and (h), (i), and (g) are compensation based selection. All the adults who participated in this, irrespective of their environmental resources they have, reported leisure activities as an integral part of maintaining proper physical abilities. Impact of psychosocial factors This article can help healthcare providers in considering factors of psychosocial associated with chronic illness such as arthritis, which included the social support and effects of role models as the factors to continue doing leisure activities and improving their wellbeing. As the results of the article discussed the importance of social support in keeping the adults with arthritis, stay active and provide assistance to continue their involvement in leisure-time activities. This support was from the family members and friends. The adults residing in housing facilities without any organized physical activity programs noted locating partners to do exercise and safety concerns. The participated of Tai Chi and organized exercise program stated social support as an important factor for motivation and energy than safety. Healthcare professionals were also reported as a part of social support as they provide encouragement to do physical activity and stay active. The influence of individua l role models is also a psychosocial factor for involvement in the leisure activities and the desire of participants to emulate their role models. The resource-rich members also used inactive members as their motivator to get involved in the exercise. They also consider positive attitudes of people whom they interact on a daily basis as inspiration for continuing their leisure activities thereby helping them to forget their pain. Neugebauer et al. (2003) also emphasize the key role of healthcare interventions and awareness programs to assist create value in the leisure activities among arthritis patients (Janke, Jones, Payne, Son, 2012). Research strength and limitations The strength of the research includes various aspects of usage of leisure activities to maintain the mental and physical well-being of the adults living with arthritis based on availability and absence of resources and other factors. Its limitations are a low participation of resource-poor adults, which therefore leads to the possibility of apparent differences based on resource type were due in some part of sample representation. There is also the possibility of dominance by certain members of focus groups resulting in suppression of the opinions and views of less expressive participants and reflected findings may not be representative of all individuals. Here, the sample included mainly women, and it was difficult to notice the differences among the adults way of self-management during leisure related to gender. Gender differences can be relevant here as there were few men in the focus groups who were contributing less to the discussion (Janke, Jones, Payne, Son, 2012). In this article, interdisciplinary knowledge of psychology and behavioral science were used to understand the process of management of chronic illness by considering both contexts of patients psychology and behavior. Lack of know-how of these will not aid in achieving optimum care. These two fields can help the nursing professional to apply best practices in treating and deciding the care plan for chronic illness patient, utilization of leisure activities to prevent any depressive symptoms related to arthritis or other illness(Janke, Jones, Payne, Son, 2012). Conclusion The knowledge gained from the article will help the nursing student to effectively manage the patient with chronic illness and in reducing barrier related to extracting information about their needs. By incorporating the strategy discussed in this article such as educating and motivating the patient to use their leisure activities to manage arthritis and its symptoms with the help of social support, modification of leisure activities, family support, and exercise. The above article helped to gain insights about the factors which promote mental and physical well-being and the process to reduce their pain and associated depressive symptoms. References Janke, M., Jones, J., Payne, L., Son, J. (2012). Living With Arthritis: Using Self-Management of Valued Activities to Promote Health.Qualitative Health Research,22(3), 360-372. Krueger, R. A., Casey, M. A. (2009). Focus group interviews: A practical guide for applied research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Neugebauer, A., Katz, P., Pasch, L. (2003). Effect of valued activity disability, social comparisons, and satisfaction with ability on depressive symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis.Health Psychology,22(3), 253-262. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.