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HLPE2542: School Health Promotion: Physical Activity and Nutrition
Research Project: Case Study (Written)
Pilates Plus: Improving Rural Community Health
Sarah Mutch (2153178)
Flinders University
[email protected], Hall Terrace, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia, 5042
Word Count: 2,013
Health Promotion Program Case Study
‘Pilates Plus: Improving Rural Community Health.’
Introduction:
Pilates Plus is a recently developed community program that encourages rural populations to
engage in physical activity. Pilates instructor Lisa Lowe works collaboratively with the
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre to provide the program which offers low impact physical
activity for community members. The program targets individuals that prefer low impact
physical activity that improves flexibility, prevents injuries and enhances core strength. Over
the past twelve months, Pilates Plus has improved the health and well-being of rural women
by providing a social environment where members can remain active and able.
The Harrington Bush Nursing Centre, a partner organisation, assists with the planning,
development, advertising, finances and implementation of Pilates Plus. The centre advertises
Pilates Plus in their newsletter and promotes the program on social media and their website
(refer to Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4). Additionally, the Centre has assisted Lowe by
providing the location and the equipment for Pilates Plus.
Participants indicated that the program had assisted them in developing their core strength,
flexibility and improving their knowledge of the body. The community members felt that the
program improved their mental, social, emotional and physical health. Additionally, the
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre suggested that Pilates Plus has provided the community with
another form of physical activity that has brought more community members into the centre.
Background
Physical activity is essential in maintaining an individual’s health and wellbeing. The
National Physical Activity Guidelines recommends that adults participate in a minimum of 30
minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most, preferably all, days (National
Rural Health Alliance Inc., 2011). It is estimated that only 30 percent of Australians meet
these guidelines (National Rural Health Alliance Inc., 2011). Physical inactivity is a
substantial health issue that affects individuals worldwide (Nazaruk et al., 2017). Low levels
of physical activity are particularly evident in rural and remote locations. Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare statistics suggest that rural populations are 1.16 times more likely to
engage in sedentary behaviours than individuals in metropolitan areas (National Rural Health
Alliance Inc., 2011). In particular, women living in rural locations have significantly lower
levels of physical activity.
Females have low levels of physical activity in comparison to males. Rural women that
experience low levels of physical activity are susceptible too poor physical and mental health
(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2014). Women in rural areas have
reduced access to health facilities and programs that assist in improving their physical
activity levels (Germov, 2014). Such health disparities have led to higher rates of obesity in
rural women that progress to increased incidences of diabetes and other health conditions
(National Rural Health Alliance Inc., 2012). Health promotion programs can assist rural
women in improving their physical activity levels, health and well-being by addressing the
current barriers and challenges that rural women face.
Harrington is a rural town in western Victoria that has a population of 315 people (refer to
Figure 1) (Victoria Places, 2015). The Harrington Bush Nursing Centre offers various health
programs for community members. However, it was evident that the currently available
physical activity programs neglected older men and women. Lisa Lowe, a Harrington
community member, recognised the lack of activities available for older women and
approached the Centre to develop a health program that could assist rural women in
improving their physical activity levels.
Pilates Plus is a 50-minute mat work Pilates class ran by Lowe that is designed to provide
low impact physical activity for rural women. The program, suited for beginners to advanced,
offers a full body work out that engages and strengths muscle to achieve muscular balance.
The Pilates classes provide a series of safe and effective exercises inspired by callisthenics,
yoga and ballet (Better Health Channel, 2017). Pilates was established in the 1920’s as a form
of physical therapy for athletes (Better Health Channel, 2017). Since then, Pilates has been
adapted to improve individual’s flexibility, strength, balance and body awareness.
Figure 1. Map displaying the travel distance from Adelaide, South Australia to Harrington, Victoria. (Google Maps, 2017)
Over the past 12 months, Pilates Plus has assisted rural women in developing their physical
activity levels. Participation levels have increased throughout the year, and there has been an
increase in the number of rural women visiting the local health clinic, Harrington Bush
Nursing Centre.
Aims and objectives
Pilates Plus aims to provide an enjoyable exercise class that improves the health and
wellbeing of rural community members by keeping them active, social and able. The program
offers the Harrington community an alternative low impact group exercise for all abilities.
The Pilates Plus, short-term goal, is to provide the community with challenging exercises that
are great for injury prevention and improving core strength. The programs long-term goals
include enhancing the community’s commitment to physical activity as well as developing
individual’s mindfulness, flexibility, functional strength, mobility, longevity and decrease the
risk of cardiovascular disease.
The success of the program will be determined by the attendance numbers, participant beliefs
about their progress and the ongoing assessments made during class by Lowe. Participant
surveys and feedback are vital ways to measure the success of the Pilates Plus Program.
Participants
The program targets rural women between the age of 30 to 60 years that are looking to
participate in a challenging program that involves low impact physical activity. Pilates Plus is
offered to individuals with various abilities and physical activity levels. The program is
available to both males and females. However, there has currently been no male participants.
Methodology
Over the past 12 months, Pilates Plus has provided challenging and low impact exercises as
an alternative physical activity program for Harrington community members. The Pilates Plus
program aligns with the Victorian school terms. Participants that pay upfront for a school
term pay $5.50 per session, whereas casual participants pay $8 per session. The program runs
two 50 minute sessions every Wednesday at the Harrington Bush Nursing Centre starting at
6:10 am and 8:40 am. The costs have been subsidised by the Harrington Bush Nursing
Centre. Each participant is required to fill out a consent form indicating their details, health
status and abilities.
Lowe recognised that the community lacked appropriate physical activity programs for rural
women who prefer low impact exercise. Lowe, a qualified Personal Trainer for CrossFit,
Bootcamp, Children’s exercise and Older Population physical activity, completed a mat work
Pilates Certificate to build on her current degree, a Bachelor of Applied Sciences. After
discussing the gap in physical activity access for rural women with the Harrington Bush
Nursing Centre, Lowe developed the Pilates Plus program. The program consists of a variety
of Pilate exercises that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of Harrington community
members. The workouts cater for a range of abilities and Lowe provides individual exercises
for women with health issues or illnesses.
Figure 2. Harrington Bush Nursing Centre Facebook Page utilised for advertising the Pilates Plus program (Harrington Bush Nursing Centre, 2017b).
The Harrington Bush Nursing Centre assisted in the planning, development, finances and
implementation of Pilates Plus. The Centre encourages health promotion and offers various
health programs to the Harrington community, including Bootcamp, Cooking Classes and Art
classes. Working closely with Lowe, the Centre provides the location and equipment for the
program and subsidises the session costs. Additionally, the Centre advertises Pilates Plus on
their website, Facebook page and in their weekly newsletter (refer to Figure 2, Figure 3 and
Figure 4).
Figure 3. Harrington Bush Nursig Centre Newsletter advertising the Pilates Plus program (Harrington Bush Nursing Centre, 2017a).
Figure 4. Harrington Bush Nursing Centre Website (Harrington Bush Nursing Centre. 2017c
The program has assisted in developing positive relationships between the Harrington Bush
Nursing Centre and community members. The participants that are members of the centre
receive health support services and additional programs. The average number of participants
per session is 6-7 people and has increased over the past 12 months. The quality of Pilates
Plus will be determined by participant feedback, attendance numbers and instructor
observations. The feedback will be used to make appropriate alterations to the program.
Challenges
The Pilates Plus program has overcome various developmental and organisational challenges
including session times, establishing a cost, payment process and participation numbers. The
scheduling times of the program had to be negotiated between the instructor and the
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre, to finalise a time that would suit community members. This
took several weeks of communication to determine the day and times that the program would
run. Additionally, the establishment of a cost for the program required effective
communication between the two organisations. The cost of each session needed to cover the
instructor's wage and the hire of the facility for the program. The Centre assisted in
establishing a subsidised cost for the program that would be affordable for community
members. Participation payments are processed through the Harrington Bush Nursing Centre
directly instead of through the instructor. Furthermore, participation numbers were a
significant challenge faced by the program.
Harrington is a small rural town in Victoria that is geographically isolated from major cities.
The low population of the town makes it difficult to encourage community members to
participate in new physical activity programs. Advertising by the Harrington Bush Nursing
Centre assisted in promoting the program and increased the community awareness and
involvement in the Pilates Plus sessions. Lowe suggested that the challenges faced by the
program were overcome efficiently (Lowe, 2017). The use of effective communication,
planning and advertising assisted the success of the program. In future, Lowe recommends
that when establishing a physical activity program in a rural location, it may be useful to
communicate with the community to determine their availabilities and interests before
implementing the program (Lowe, 2017).
Successes
Pilates Plus has encouraged the Harrington community to engage in physical activity. The
program has successfully overcome various developmental and organisational difficulties.
This success was achieved by the effective communication and organisation of the Pilates
Plus instructor, Lisa Lowe and partner organisation, Harrington Bush Nursing Centre. The
program has provided community members with alternative low impact physical activity and
has improved the health and well-being of rural women. Participation in the program has
grown over the past 12 months which has led to an increased number of people visiting the
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre (Lowe, 2017). Participant surveys, feedback and instructor
assessment suggests that the program has resulted in various health benefits. According to the
Participant surveys conducted by S. Mutch (Participant Survey, 20th September 2017)
improved fitness, flexibility, coordination and core strength are just some of the physical
benefits of the Pilates sessions. Additionally, participants indicated that the exercise made
them ‘feel good’ and provided an opportunity to make new friends, which reinforces that the
program has the potential to provide mental health benefits. Deslandes et al. supports this
concept of physical activity improving mental health (Deslandes et al., 2009). Furthermore, it
was suggested that the program includes education about the body and the importance of
exercise.
Participation feedback indicated that Pilates Plus is an affordable and effective physical
activity program that caters for all individual needs and abilities. The instructor’s positive
attitude and effective communication creates an inclusive environment that all community
members are welcome to join. Although the program has only had female clients aged 30-60
years, the class is accessible for all wider community members.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Pilates Plus program has assisted the Harrington community in improving
individual’s health, well-being and awareness. The program targets rural health and aims to
improve participant’s flexibility, core strength and fitness. The instructor has assisted clients
in developing their knowledge of the body and understanding of the importance of health.
Rural women have been provided with challenging low impact Pilates exercises that improve
participant’s mindfulness, mobility, longevity and can potentially reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease. The Pilates Plus program has been effectively implemented by Lowe
and the Harrington Bush Nursing Centre through their use of effective communication.
Moving forward, Pilates Plus aims to continue to run in 2018 and encourage greater
participation from a wider variety of community members and may potentially expand by
being accessible on another day.
References:
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2014, Health disparities in rural
women, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 123(2 Pt 1), pp.384-8.
Better Health Channel, 2017, Pilates and Yoga: Health Benefits, viewed 20 September 2017,
< https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/pilates-and-yoga-
health-benefits>
Deslandes, A., Moraes, H., Ferreira, C., Veiga, H., Silveira, H., Mouta, R., Pompeu, F.A.,
Coutinho, E.S.F. and Laks, J., 2009, Exercise and mental health: many reasons to
move. Neuropsychobiology, 59(4), pp.191-198.
Germov, J., 2014, ‘Rural Health’, in Second Opinion: An introduction to Health Sociology,
5th edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne Australia, pp.184-197
Google Maps, 2017, Map of directions from Adelaide, South Australia to Harrington,
Victoria [online], Google, viewed 19 September, <
https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/Adelaide+SA/Harrow+VIC+3317/@-
36.0384496,138.9896025,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!
1s0x6ab0ced7a303a4e7:0xb38d70584e1c3e53!2m2!1d138.6007456!2d-34.9284989!
1m5!1m1!1s0x6acc1403f60f1f6d:0x40579a430a0ae10!2m2!1d141.6208782!2d-
37.1634902>
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre, 2017a, Bay Riders Community Centre: Harrington
Neighbourhood House Newsletter [Internet], viewed 1 October 2017, <
http://www.hbnc.org.au/reports-publications/documents-notices/>
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre, 2017b, Harrington Bush Nursing Centre [Facebook],
viewed 28 September, < https://www.facebook.com/HarringtonBushNurse>
Harrington Bush Nursing Centre. 2017c. Harrington Bush Nursing Centre. [ONLINE]
Available at http://www.hbnc.org.au/. [Accessed 2 October 2017].
Lowe, L., Pilates Plus Instructor (Personal communication, 20th September 2017)
National Rural Health Alliance Inc, 2011, Physical Activity in Rural Australia, viewed 28
September, < http://ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/Fact-Sheet-26-
physical%20activity%20in%20rural%20australia_0.pdf>
National Rural Health Alliance Inc., 2012, Women’s health in rural Australian, viewed 8
September 2017, <http://ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/publications/fact-sheet-31-
womens-health-rural-australia.pdf>
Nazaruk, D., Tedders, S.H., Alfonso, M.L. and Vogel, R.L., 2017, The determinants of
physical activity in rural women, aged 20 to 44 years, in Georgia. Family & community
health, 40(1), pp.11-17.
Victoria Places, 2015, Harrow, viewed 1 October 2017,
<http://www.victorianplaces.com.au/harrow>