Development of a supervised exercise programme for immigrant women: Feasibility study of a practical intervention in a physiotherapy setting.
Stephanie Heinecke Thulstrup, Stine Petersen, Lars Morsø
PMID 34128076WHAT IT FOUND
Immigrant women found a locally delivered, privacy-focused exercise programme feasible and reported subjective benefits like pain reduction and better wellbeing.
However, objective physical measures showed no significant change, so this study proves the programme can be run, not that it improves health outcomes.
Key findings
01The programme was feasible to recruit and maintain, with 14 of 29 women completing the 12-week course by attending at least 11 sessions.
02Participants reported subjective improvements in pain, wellbeing and motivation, but there were no significant changes in any objective outcome measure.
03Key factors for engagement included local delivery, privacy measures like closed doors, and cultural sensitivity such as allowing headscarf removal.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was not powered to detect physical changes, with no sample size calculation performed. High dropout rate and incomplete data meant quantitative results were based on only 10 women. Language barriers were a principal limitation, as participants had basic Danish knowledge and professional translators were not used, which may have affected communication and data validity. The study design was exploratory and lacked a control group, so it cannot determine if the exercise programme caused the reported subjective improvements. Retrospective trial registration limits the strength of the evidence regarding pre-specified outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted by physiotherapists from a private clinic, but no specific funding source or commercial involvement in the design or analysis was reported in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the women's subjective reports of pain reduction and wellbeing as evidence that the exercise programme improved physical function or health outcomes. The study found no significant changes in any objective measure, and the small number of participants with complete data (n=10) means the results are not generalisable.