Aquatic exercise in older Korean women with arthritis: identifying barriers to and facilitators of long-term adherence

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing long-term adherence to aquatic exercise in older women with arthritis. Participants (n = 72) completed an educational program on aquatic exercise and underwent follow up for 6 months. At follow-up, women who continued aquatic exercise (adherence group, n = 25) had significantly higher scores than women in the nonadherence group (n = 47) in exercise self-efficacy (p < 0.0001) and group cohesion based on social aspects (p = 0.009). Both groups reported experiencing similar barriers to exercise (rho = 0.78). The findings provide insights for the development of strategies to promote long-term adherence to this type of aquatic exercise. Specifically, the findings encourage the fostering of exercise self-efficacy and social group cohesion during participation in educational programs to increase long-term exercise adherence.