1. Objectifs

Intentions :
Ce mémoire de maîtrise vise à brosser le portrait des habitudes d’activités physiques des femmes de 50 ans et plus dont le conjoint est atteint du cancer.

Questions/Hypothèses :
«This document will […] provide a review of relevant literature and propose a methodology to answer the two following research questions: 1) What structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors are associated with PA in primary spousal caregivers of men with cancer? 2) How do these associations change for different types and intensities of PA [physical activity]? (“types” meaning the three main categories of PA for older adults as defined by the CSEP [Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology] (2011), which are aerobic, resistance, and mobility-enhancing).» (p. 4)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«For this qualitative study, participants were seven women above the age of 50 who were caregivers for their spouse with cancer.» (p. v)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«Caregivers in this study reported a variety of factors associated with their PA habits, which were categorized into structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors, both caregiving-specific and general. [T]his study found that the largest barrier to caregiver PA was the caregiving role itself. Notably, participants described the large time commitment of caring, and their reluctance to leave their spouse alone. Factors unrelated to the caregiving role present an intriguing avenue for comparisons, as they can be compared to the barriers and facilitators reported by non-caregiving older women. Franco et al. (2015) reported several key factor categories in their systematic review of qualitative studies investigating older adult PA. Though this review was not specific to older women, the main categories are still similar to the non-caregiving factors found in the present study, including the importance of social influences, physical limitations, competing priorities, and intrapersonal factors. As such, this study effectively confirms that older female spousal caregivers experience a confluence of factors associated with the PA habits, which consist of both factors unique to the caregiving role and factors general to older adults.» (p. 53-54)