Voices from a healthy life centre: a qualitative investigation of clients' nutrition and physical activity experiences

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 97 - 102, 12.01.2025

Hüsna Kaya Kaçar , Ertuğrul Deniz Köse , Kübra Okuyucu

https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1588026

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the perceptions and experiences of clients attending a healthy life centre in Amasya for weight management and physical activity counselling.
Methods: This qualitative study was conducted through telephone interviews with 23 individuals who had attended weight management counseling. Participants were adults aged 18 years and over who attended the healthy life centre in Amasya for weight management and were randomly selected from those who received weight management services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ experiences with the healthy life centre, including their reasons for applying, their access to and satisfaction with the services, and changes in their wellbeing. Using NVivo12, transcripts were analysed thematically based on grounded theory.
Results: The mean age of participants was 32.57 years (±6.1), with weight loss being a common reason for attending. The majority of participants attended a single session (n=9), and the primary sources of awareness about the center were friends (n=6) and family (n=3).The thematic analysis revealed five major themes: 1) impact on healthy living, 2) lack of promotion, 3) satisfaction, 4) reason for ceasing, and 5) suggestions for the future.
Conclusion: This study emphasises the positive impact of healthy life centres on clients’ health and lifestyle behaviors, with patients reporting significant improvements in their nutritional habits and increased physical activity levels due to the counseling they received. However, the study also showed that people are unaware of the existence of healthy life centres, and that these services are not sufficiently promoted. Therefore, there is a need for the greater promotion of healthy life centres in Turkiye to improve public health.

Keywords

Health promotion, healthy life centre, qualitative research, weight management

Sağlıklı yaşam merkezinden sesler: Müşterilerin beslenme ve fiziksel aktivite deneyimlerinin nitel bir araştırması

Abstract

Amaçlar: Bu çalışmanın amacı Amasya'da sağlıklı yaşam merkezine kilo yönetimi ve fiziksel aktivite danışmanlığı için gelen müşterilerin algılarını ve deneyimlerini araştırmaktır.
Yöntemler: Bu nitel çalışma, kilo yönetimi danışmanlığına katılmış 23 kişiyle telefon görüşmeleri yoluyla yürütülmüştür. Katılımcılar, Amasya'daki sağlıklı yaşam merkezine kilo yönetimi için katılan 18 yaş ve üzeri yetişkinlerdi ve kilo yönetimi hizmetleri alanlar arasından rastgele seçilmişlerdi. Katılımcıların sağlıklı yaşam merkeziyle ilgili deneyimlerini, başvuru nedenlerini, hizmetlere erişimlerini ve hizmetlerden duydukları memnuniyeti ve refahlarındaki değişiklikleri araştırmak için yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmıştır. NVivo12 kullanılarak, transkriptler yerleşik teoriye dayalı olarak tematik olarak analiz edilmiştir.
Sonuçlar: Katılımcıların ortalama yaşı 32,57 yıl (±6,1) olup, kilo kaybı katılım için yaygın bir nedendir. Katılımcıların çoğunluğu tek bir oturuma katıldı (n=9) ve merkez hakkında birincil farkındalık kaynakları arkadaşlar (n=6) ve aileydi (n=3). Tematik analiz beş ana temayı ortaya koydu: 1) sağlıklı yaşam üzerindeki etki, 2) tanıtım eksikliği, 3) memnuniyet, 4) bırakma nedeni ve 5) geleceğe yönelik öneriler.
Sonuç: Bu çalışma, sağlıklı yaşam merkezlerinin danışanların sağlık ve yaşam tarzı davranışları üzerindeki olumlu etkisini vurgulamaktadır; hastalar aldıkları danışmanlık sayesinde beslenme alışkanlıklarında önemli iyileşmeler ve artan fiziksel aktivite seviyeleri bildirmektedir. Ancak çalışma ayrıca insanların sağlıklı yaşam merkezlerinin varlığından habersiz olduğunu ve bu hizmetlerin yeterince tanıtılmadığını da göstermiştir. Bu nedenle, halk sağlığını iyileştirmek için Türkiye'de sağlıklı yaşam merkezlerinin daha fazla tanıtılmasına ihtiyaç vardır.

Keywords

Sağlıklı yaşam merkezi, sağlıklı yaşam teşviki, nitel araştırma, kilo yönetimi

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