Rapid Consensus on the Prioritization of Strategies to Improve Physical Activity among Iranian Women: A Focus Group Study using Nominal Group Technique

Background: Despite the known effects of inadequate physical activity (PA), adoption of appropriate interventions to increase PA is still problematic. The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize evidence-based strategies to increase women’s PA in the context of Iranian society. Methods: This is a mixed-method study. A systematic review of clinical interventions was used to stimulate academic and focus group discussions (FGDs), where the participants identified the most salient strategies to promote women’s PA in the context of Iranian society. Then a Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to reach a rapid consensus on the prioritization of the strategies. Both parts of this mixed methods study (systematic review/FGD), were conducted in 2014. The participants (n=13) including Iranian women, the research team, health sciences experts, managers, and policy makers rated the strategies both in terms of their importance and applicability (from 3-13). higher scores were indicative of higher prioritization. The prioritized strategies were then categorized under the concepts of a socio-ecological model consisting of intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and community factors. Results: Overall, 26 strategies were identified and coded as ‘items’.   The challenging of inaccurate beliefs about PA, along with the increasing of self-confidence and self-prioritization, creation of sports groups, the use of sports coaches and increasing of awareness via text messaging and informative multi-media placed in local mosques and schools got the highest scores both in terms of importance and applicability in this context. Conclusion: In the promotion of PA, collaboration with key stakeholders is paramount. The strategies identified and prioritized in this study could be used to design future PA programs for increasing women’s PA in Iranian society.