Nurses' perceptions of physical activity: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study

Nurses' perceptions of physical activity: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Nurses' perceptions of physical activity: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study Zheying Li, Jing Cheng, Yaru Xiao, Ting Zhou, Sufang Huang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5330864/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Objective: To study Chinese nurses’ overall perception of physical activity and explore potential strategies to promote their regular leisure-time physical activity levels. Methods: Using descriptive qualitative research methods, semistructured interviews were conducted with 30 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China, from September 2022 to May 2023. Content analysis was used to analyze the data and extract the themes. Results: Five themes were identified: 1) lack of awareness of the recommended physical activity guidelines; 2)benefits of physical activity; 3) current status of physical activity; 4)influencing factors of regular leisure-time physical activity; and 5) strategies to promote regular leisure-time physical activity. Conclusions: Health administrative departments and medical institutions should attach great importance to the popularization of physical activity knowledge and promotion of physical activity in nurses. By strengthening propaganda and education, and to provide scientific guidance and effective intervention, promote the nurses to participate in leisure physical activities regularly, to ensure their physical and mental health, improve medical service quality. nurse physical activity perception qualitative research Background The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity as any activity involving the use of skeletal muscles and requiring energy expenditure[ 1 ]. It is classified into four categories: leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical activity, household or domestic physical activity, and transportation physical activity. Regular engagement in physical activity has been scientifically proven to be beneficial for preventing and treating chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer. Furthermore, it enhances overall mental health and well-being[ 2 ]. Both the World Health Organization 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior [ 3 ] and the Physical Activity Guidelines for the Chinese Population (2021) [ 4 ] recommend that adults should participate in 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities per week. Increasing levels of physical activity are strongly advised for adults to achieve additional health benefits such as weight maintenance[ 5 ] [ 13 ]. However, surveys conducted both domestically and internationally indicate that nurses generally have a low level of physical activity with approximately 60%-74% of foreign nurses failing to meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity levels. In China, the proportion of nurses meeting international guideline standards ranged from 45.6–75%, which was lower than WHO's global adult compliance rate regarding physical activity levels[ 6 , 7 ]. Although Chinese nurses exhibit a higher rate of qualified occupational activities compared to foreign nurses, their engagement in leisure-time exercise is limited. Recent studies have revealed distinct health effects between leisure-time PA and occupational PA [ 8 – 11 ], suggesting that occupational PA may not provide significant health benefits or could even be detrimental. Similar findings have been reported among nurse populations[ 12 , 13 ]. The deep understanding of nurses' perceptions of physical activity and the implementation of effective measures to promote their engagement in leisure-time physical activity are crucial. To address the current gap in qualitative research on physical activity among nurses in China, this study employs phenomenological research methods to comprehensively explore nurses' cognitive processes, attitudes, and current practices regarding physical activity. By investigating the factors influencing leisure-time physical activity among nurses, this study aims to provide valuable insights for developing effective programs that promote physical activity during their leisure time. Study design A qualitative research design and content analysis methods were adopted. This study used a descriptive research method[ 14 ], which is a method that follows the philosophical foundation of natural inquiry. Compared to other qualitative research methods, the unique advantage of descriptive research is that the information obtained through interviews and other means reflects the most direct understanding or experience of the research object. Study participants and recruitment The method of purposive sampling was adopted. When there were no new ideas from nurses during interviews, the sample size was considered to have reached saturation, and no further interviews were needed[ 15 ]. We recruited 30 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China. Among these 30 nurses, 29 nurses participated in face-to-face interviews, and 1 nurse participated in an online video interview due to the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic and working hours. The inclusion criteria for nurses were as follows: (1) have the "Nurse Practitioner Qualification Certificate" and have been registered; (2) officially on the job in a hospital; and (3) voluntary participation in this study. Practicing and training nurses were excluded. Data Collection The data were collected from September 2022 to May 2023 by a graduate student trained in qualitative research methodology. The research assistant (YX) sent an invitation to qualified nurses by e-mail. Written information on the purpose and procedure of the study was attached. Participants expressed their interest by replying to the e-mail and making an appointment for an interview. Based on the literature review, the interview outline was formulated according to the research purpose. The first author of the manuscript and the research assistant (YX) conducted a pretest of the interview. After the preinterview, sentences with unclear expression or ambiguity were adjusted, and the interview outline was revised and improved based on the feedback received. See Table 1 for the interview outline. All interviews were conducted in a quiet and private room to reduce interference and ensure the confidentiality of the data discussed. The interviews lasted 38.56 ± 5.91 minutes on average. After the interviews, the participants received a gift (hand cream or a keychain of Bing Dwen Dwen of the Beijing Winter Olympics). Table 1 Interview outline of nurses' perceptions of physical activity Interview outline a.Do you know the concept of physical activity? What do you know about physical activity? b.Do you know the physical activity guidelines at home and abroad? Explain physical activity to those who do not understand, and then ask the following questions. c.What is your level of physical activity? d.What do you think physical activity will bring to you? e.What factors do you think contribute to your regular leisure-time physical activity? What factors are holding you back? f.What support do you need to help you better engage in regular leisure-time physical activity? Data analysis Content analysis was used for the data analysis[ 16 ]. After face-to-face and video interviews with 30 nurses, the data reached saturation. Within 24 hours after each interview, the researcher converted the recording into written material, and another researcher checked it. After the initial transcription, accuracy was ensured by repeating the reference records or through further communication with the participants. The materials were coded, classified and analyzed with NVivo 11 (QSR International Patent Co., Ltd., Melbourne, VIC, Australia). Two researchers independently coded the data, analyzed, compared and verified them, and finally reached a consensus on the themes. Results Participant characteristics Thirty nurses (90.00% female) from different departments participated. The participants’ characteristics are shown in Table 2 . The participants’ average age was 34.23 years (SD ± 7.73). 83.33% were married or cohabitated, 63.33% had children, and 96.67% had completed university education. 56.67% of the participants were emergency nurses, and 53.33% were senior nurses Table 2 Participants' characteristics(n = 30) Number of Participants Gender Age a BMI Educational level Marriage status Number of children Years of work experience Professional Title Department P1 W 30 23.5 Master’s degree or above Married 1 3 Senior nurse Emergency Department P2 W 41 21.0 Bachelor’s degree Married 2 22 Supervisor nurse Emergency Department P3 W 29 21.0 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 7 Senior nurse Emergency Department P4 W 42 22.6 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 22 Supervisor Purse Emergency Department P5 W 50 17.6 Junior college Married 1 23 Supervisor nurse Emergency Department P6 W 28 19.2 Bachelor’s degree Married 0 5 Senior nurse Emergency Department P7 W 28 25.4 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 6 Senior nurse Emergency Department P8 M 22 19.0 Bachelor’s degree Cohabiting 0 1 Nurse Emergency Department P9 W 45 21.5 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 25 Supervisor nurse Emergency Department P10 W 28 19.1 Bachelor’s degree Married 0 6 Senior nurse Internal Medicine P11 M 26 21.5 Bachelor’s degree Cohabiting 0 5 Senior nurse Operating Room P12 W 57 20.9 Master’s degree or above Married 1 38 Professor of Nursing Emergency Department P13 W 27 18.8 Bachelor’s degree Cohabiting 0 5 Senior nurse Emergency Department P14 W 29 22.3 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 7 Supervisor nurse Emergency Department P15 W 41 24.3 Master’s degree or above Married 1 22 Senior nurse Emergency Department P16 W 28 20.8 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 6 Senior nurse Internal Medicine P17 W 28 20.4 Bachelor’s degree Married 0 6 Senior nurse Surgery Department P18 W 35 18.6 Bachelor’s degree Married 2 10 Senior nurse Department of Critical Care Medicine P19 W 28 22.3 Bachelor’s degree Married 0 6 Senior nurse Emergency Department P20 W 41 18.4 Master’s degree or above Divorced 1 22 Supervisor nurse Emergency Department P21 W 39 24.9 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 20 Associate Professor of Nursing Emergency Department P22 W 35 21.5 Bachelor’s degree Single 0 11 Senior nurse Emergency Department P23 W 37 18.6 Master’s degree or above Married 1 13 Associate Professor of Nursing Department of Critical Care Medicine P24 W 34 25.1 Bachelor’s degree Married 2 9 Supervisor nurse Surgery Department P25 W 32 23.9 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 8 Senior nurse Surgery Department P26 W 32 24.1 Master’s degree or above Single 0 5 Supervisor nurse Surgery Department P27 W 29 18.9 Bachelor’s degree Single 0 5 Senior nurse pediatric department P28 W 37 25.3 Bachelor’s degree Married 1 12 Supervisor nurse pediatric department P29 W 40 19.9 Bachelor’s degree Married 2 20 Associate Professor of Nursing Internal Medicine P30 M 29 22.1 Master’s degree or above Single 0 2 Senior nurse Surgery Department Abbreviations: W woman, M man a Age in year Theme analysis We identified five main themes in our qualitative data. References to the participants’ quotes are bracketed and represented by their interview numbers. For example, a quotation from Participant 13 is indicated as “(P13)”. Theme 1: Lack of awareness of the recommended physical activity guidelines The vast majority of respondents claimed they did not know much about physical activity or had not even heard of the term. Only a few participants had some knowledge of physical activity through reading literature, and very few participants reported that they had become aware of their sedentary behavior through exercise watches. Therefore, their knowledge of the national physical activity guidelines was very limited. "[It is] too professional. I have not been exposed to this concept. This belongs to my knowledge blind area...." (P13) "I haven't been exposed to physical activity guidelines, but my sports watch warns me not to sit for too long. " (P9) The participants had different understandings of physical activity. The vast majority of participants thought that physical activity meant "moving" or "nonstationary". Most participants indicated that physical activity meant additional physical exercise, and some participants considered their activity at work and housework to also fall under the category of physical activity. A few participants emphasized that walking while commuting was also a form of physical activity. "As long as the body is moving, it's activity. I believe walking to and from work, walking, exercising, [and] moving around the workplace are physical activity...." (P8) Some participants focused on heart rate and calorie consumption during exercise, emphasizing that exercise at a certain intensity was effective. A few participants linked physical activity to mental activity and thinking. "Exercise at a certain intensity will have better results. I use a sports watch to monitor my heart rate and energy expenditure. I burn about 170–180 calories per run, and my heart rate is generally maintained at 160–170 beats per minute. " (P20) "Flowing water does not rot. People need activities to live. Physical activity should include two aspects: one is mental activity, and the other is physical movement. Thinking of the brain is also a physical activity...." (P4) Theme 2: Benefits of physical activity The participants knew the benefits of physical activity and the risks associated with inactivity and showed a positive attitude toward participating in physical activity. When asked about the benefits of physical activity, the participants explained that physical activity has a positive impact on physical health (e.g., it enhances physical fitness and immunity, increases muscle strength and endurance, strengthens heart and lung function, enhances metabolism, controls weight and improves body posture, improves sleep, relieves fatigue, and relieves muscle and joint health problems). They also mentioned mental health benefits (e.g., improved mood and reduced stress, enhanced pleasure and well-being, and improved cognition and learning ability), and this positive feedback made them move more. "Life lies in sports. Not only can sports make the body younger and joints more flexible, it can also extend our life and strengthen our constitution and immunity. When you exercise, your mental state improves. " (P10) "For me, there are benefits for relieving fatigue, better body shape and better sleep and so on. I run when I'm in a bad mood, and I sweat a lot. After running, I feel exceedingly happy, and some of the bad mood is cleared away...." (P1) Some participants emphasized that exercise improved their performance at work, allowing them to have clearer thinking and a more positive attitude. "After active exercise, I work with a more active and clear mind and a positive attitude. " (P28) Some participants pointed out that physical activity can improve interpersonal relationships and is an effective way to promote communication and friendship. "I work out a lot with my parents and kids, and we have a lot of interaction when we play sports, and I enjoy it. " (P3) When asked about the consequences of a lack of physical activity, most participants mentioned health risks (e.g., high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity). "My colleague's blood lipids are on the high side. She's a bit fat, and she doesn't exercise much." (P14) Some participants highlighted the importance of prescribed exercise and believed that nurses had great potential in health consultations on physical activity. "Nurses are practitioners, propagandists and disseminators. Exercise is a prescription. Under the vision of the Healthy China Initiative, nurses should play a propaganda role. I always pay attention to what disease patients have. If it is a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, I will tell them about physical activity...." (P12) Theme 3 C urrent status of physical activity Most participants claimed that their total physical activity was at a medium level compared with construction workers and other purely manual laborers. The vast majority of nurses believed that their physical activity involved mainly occupational physical activities and fewer leisure time physical activities. "Nurses have more occupational physical activity, but in general, it is at a moderate level. Compared with some people who engage in heavy physical activities in the construction industry, nurses are still relatively relaxed...." (P7) "Work makes me tired. I seldom exercise in my spare time." (P21) Physical activity during working hours was accumulated through walking, carrying equipment and attending to patients. "Doctor's mouth, nurse's legs. Nurses rarely have time to sit down to rest.” (P30). "I work in the ICU. I have to turn patients over several times a day and sometimes push a patient out for examination. Some patients in the ward need dialysis, a bag of 4 kg weight dialysate, and dialysis uses up several bags...." (P18) The forms of leisure-time physical activity reported by the participants were diverse, including walking, brisk walking, running, jumping rope, aerobics, playing badminton and yoga. Most participants preferred professional venues, and a few participants participated in muscle strength training. "I usually exercise. Sometimes I run, walk briskly, or go to the gym to use the elliptical machine to do some aerobic exercise, and I also do some anaerobic exercise at home, such as local muscle exercises. " (P15) Most participants reported that occupational physical activity was different from leisure-time physical activity and could have negative effects. In their opinions, leisure-time physical activity is spontaneous activity and involves a relaxed state, while occupational physical activity is carried out in a stressful environment that puts the body in a state of stress, tension and fatigue. Some participants also believed that the heart rate during occupational physical activity usually does not reach a certain value, so it cannot achieve the same effect as physical exercise such as running. "Leisure-time physical activity is spontaneous activity, while at work, the entire body is in a tense state, and the mind is not thinking of something relaxing. It will only make you feel tired. " (P28) The main types of travel reported by participants were walking, taking cars and cycling, depending on their commuting distance to work. "I live outside the Second Ring Road. It takes an hour to drive to work or 45 minutes by subway." (P26) Most participants indicated that they were mainly responsible for childcare, in line with Chinese cultural traditions. "When I'm at home, I take care of the baby. She is very dependent on me and is a sweet burden. " (P14) Theme 5: Influencing factors of regular leisure-time physical activity Numerous factors, including facilitators and barriers, influenced the participants' participation in leisure-time physical activity. With regard to facilitating factors for initiating regular leisure-time physical activity, the participants reported internal motivation (improving physical and mental health/becoming more self-disciplined/promoting social interaction/interest) and extrinsic motivation (rewards). Improving physical and mental health was commonly cited as a driver of regular leisure-time physical activity, especially when the health of the participants was at stake. This was followed by weight management, especially after a nurse had given birth. "My postprandial blood sugar was high in my physical examination, which the doctor thought was related to my work habits. Because I am mainly responsible for teaching now, I spend seven or eight hours a day sitting, and I don’t exercise after work... I think I still need to exercise more." (P20) “After giving birth, I gained a lot of weight. My body hasn’t recovered adequately, so I want to exercise.” (P7) However, participants also mentioned other motivations, such as exercising to become more self-disciplined and to develop and promote social interests. "I like playing badminton very much. Playing badminton makes my life more regular, and playing badminton with friends is important for a happy social life." (P29) One participant reported that she would be highly motivated to participate in regular leisure-time physical activity if there was a material reward. "If there was a bonus for exercise, I would be willing to do sports." (P13) All participants reported one or more barriers to regular leisure-time physical activity. These barriers are associated with internal factors (e.g., fatigue, lack of time, lack of motivation, experiences of failure, fear of sports injury, illness factors) or external factors in the physical or social environment (e.g., lack of peer or family support, lack of convenient places to exercise, adverse weather, economic factors). "Nurses walk more than 10,000 steps a day, and their energy is mainly consumed at work. After work, they must lie down and rest to recover their energy. " (P10) Some participants mentioned more barriers than others. They frequently had insufficient family support, such as having young children to care for or helping children learn. "I have time to exercise since my children are in kindergarten." (P25) "[There is] no one to help me. My parents have no culture to guide the children's studies." (P21) Some participants indicated that unpleasant exercise experiences(eg.getting injured) made them lose confidence. "I've tried exercise to lose weight, but I've failed. Worst of all, I sprained my ankle while jumping rope, and I am afraid of getting hurt again. " (P14) One participant mentioned that illness factors prevented her from participating in vigorous activity. "I have asthma, so I am absolutely afraid to participate in running, playing badminton and other strenuous sports . " (P18) The participants indicated that facilitators of regular leisure-time physical activity were related to experiences. Successful practical experiences and the motivation of role models were frequently mentioned as facilitators. Compared to popular athletes (e.g., Liu Genghong) on the internet, colleagues, friends and family members around them were more motivating role models. "At that time, I often went to the gym and ran. I lost 5 kg in a month and felt more energetic." (P19) "My colleague's body shape changed significantly after Pilates practice. I signed up for Pilates classes and planned to practice once a week. " (P14) Some participants mentioned that it was difficult to continue exercising. Choosing an appropriate exercise method, setting achievable exercise goals, and formulating a feasible exercise plan helped them develop regular exercise habits. "I didn't make an exercise plan, which may be the reason why I didn't continue exercising!" (P6) Some participants mentioned that their high perceived risk of disease motivated their participation in regular leisure-time physical activity. "There are many obese people in my family, and they all have high blood pressure, so I have a strong sense of crisis. In order to avoid being like them, I will consciously exercise. For example, I usually take the stairs instead of the elevator...." (P12) Theme 6: Strategies to promote regular leisure-time physical activity. The participants indicated that most of the time, they had the intention to exercise but lacked corresponding support. Social support factors mentioned included informational support (e.g., free/inexpensive sports venue information), environmental support (e.g., sports venues and facilities in the workplace/organized activities), peer/family support (e.g., sports partner/family support) and more time for exercise (e.g., flexible schedule/concentration of studies or online mode/reliable childcare). Some participants wished for more social support. "In fact, there are some free sports venues around our community, but most people don't pay attention to this information. " (P23) "I can exercise, but the ideal situation is to have a partner. " (P16) Some participants stated that sports venues were extremely important for creating a positive atmosphere for exercise and resisting adverse weather conditions (e.g., rain and heat). In addition, convenient sports venues can save time, and free venues can reduce economic expenses. They expected the workplace to provide sports equipment and venues and to offer more sports activities. "If you want to go to the gym, you must pay for the venue and the teacher. Many sports require a professional teacher’s guidance, which is relatively expensive. " (P2) " My husband's work unit has a place to exercise. Our hospital can learn from them and organize activities ." (P23) Some participants highlighted that they needed more time for regular leisure-time physical activity, and they hoped that institutions and managers would make some changes. "Study, lectures, meetings, and scientific research tasks will take up your time and energy. It would be nice if night shifts weren't so frequent and study sessions were concentrated...." (P16) A minority of participants suggested that fragmented exercise sessions should be used to achieve better results. "We can use spare time to exercise, such as walking for a few minutes instead of sitting down immediately after eating." (P24) Discussion This study explored nurses' perceptions of physical activity, including their knowledge, attitudes and experiences. Our thematic analysis revealed six main themes. A significant finding was that participants' knowledge of physical activity guidelines was limited. Although physical activity is not a new concept, the Chinese nursing community is surprisingly unfamiliar with it, suggesting that physical activity guidelines have not been widely publicized in China. This is consistent with the study by Guo Haixia et al., which found that general awareness of physical activity guidelines among adults in China was low, and the level of accurate awareness was less than 1%[ 17 ]. Our findings showed that the participants in this study often confused physical activity with exercise, and a few participants had different understandings of physical activity. These factors are not conducive for nurses to perform physical activity health education for patients. Nurses play an active role in promoting physical activity and regard it as an important part of their professional role[ 18 ]. Studies have found that nurses who are physically active are more effective in supporting patients in increasing their physical activity[ 19 ]. The participants in this study were very aware of the benefits of physical activity and fully recognized the importance of physical activity, such as promoting physical and mental health and improving interpersonal relationships, consistent with the views previously reported by nurses[ 20 ]. Although the majority of participants in this study were not actively engaged in leisure-time physical activity, most participants showed positive attitudes toward physical activity. Similarly, studies by Ross et al.[ 21 ] and Avraham et al.[ 22 ] showed that although nurses knew the benefits of physical activity and the risks associated with inactivity, they did not apply their knowledge to their own lives. Some participants mentioned the importance of prescribed exercise. Prescribed exercise for people with different diseases can help medical staff choose appropriate exercise training methods for patients to improve their health[ 23 – 25 ]. Regarding the actual physical activity level of the participants, they reported more occupational physical activity and less leisure-time physical activity. This is consistent with the studies by McCarthy et al.[ 26 ] and Prince et al.[ 27 ], which showed that 73% of the daily physical activity of nurses was accumulated during working hours. In addition, most participants reported that busy work resulted in a lack of energy to engage in leisure-time physical activity; similar results have been reported in previous studies [ 20 ]. Studies have shown that nurses' occupational physical activity is largely low intensity, which is consistent with the feelings of the participants in this study [ 28 ]. However, most participants also indicated that occupational physical activity may not have a positive impact on health, which indirectly confirms the existence of the physical activity paradox[ 11 ]. However, adequate occupational physical activity should not be an excuse for negative leisure-time physical activity among nurses. Health promotion interventions should emphasize the importance of achieving adequate moderate to vigorous leisure-time physical activity for everyone, including people who engage in substantial occupational physical activity. Regular leisure-time physical activity is influenced by a variety of facilitating and discouraging factors. With regard to motivation for engaging in regular leisure-time physical activity, nurses are more likely to engage in physical activity due to intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. This is consistent with the findings of a study by Karen et al.[ 29 ] In this study, motivation was often triggered by a specific event, such as the sudden identification of a medical condition (e.g., elevated blood lipids or glucose levels) or gaining weight after childbirth. Notably, the participants in our study had BMI values that ranged from 17.6 to 25.4, with 78.26% in the normal range. This finding confirms that the overweight rate and the obesity rate of Chinese nurses are significantly lower than those of the general population[ 30 ]. Chinese nurses pay attention to their own body image management and have a high pursuit of beauty. Promoting social interaction is considered important, and participants can enhance their social participation and contact opportunities through activities. Interest is another important motivation, consistent with previous reports[ 31 ]. Barriers to participating in regular leisure-time physical activity among nurses included exhaustion, lack of time, lack of motivation, experience of failure, fear of sports injury, disease factors, lack of peer or family support, lack of convenient places to exercise, weather and financial reasons, consistent with the previous literature[ 20 , 32 – 34 ]. The participants reported work-related study tasks and research pressure as barriers to having sufficient time to engage in regular leisure-time physical activity. These factors are related to the hospital's assessment of nurses, including scientific research ability [ 35 ]. Participants in the parenting group reported more barriers that were correlated with work-family conflict. Exercise was often not prioritized when it could not be reconciled with family responsibilities[ 36 ]. With regard to the promotion of regular leisure-time physical activity among the participants, successful practice experiences and motivation from role models were identified as the most important facilitators. Successful experiences and others' motivation can enhance self-efficacy in social activities, and the physical activity level of nurses is associated with high self-efficacy[ 37 ]. In this study, four participants became positive role models through successful practice experiences, motivated others to engage in regular leisure-time physical activity and received good feedback, consistent with previous studies[ 34 , 37 , 38 ]. Furthermore, two participants disclosed that they had a family history of hypertension and diabetes and that they were concerned that a lack of physical activity would lead to the development of these diseases. Although only two participants reported this, it is important to note that the nurses’ experience of physical activity was significantly associated with their perception of high disease risk, which was closely related to their occupation. This perception greatly influenced the nurses’ decision-making and health-related behavior and helped them transform awareness into behavior. The participants reported needing more social support to promote regular leisure-time physical activity. Social support factors included informational support, environmental support, and peer/family support, which were previously highlighted in other studies[ 21 , 34 , 37 , 38 ]. In addition, a few participants proposed using fragmented time for exercise, which coincides with the snacktivity strategy. Snacktivity is a novel approach to motivate people to be physically active. It focuses on promoting short (2–5 min) and frequent episodes, or "snacks," of physical activity throughout the day [ 39 ]. This concept sheds new light on the development of intervention strategies. Strengths and limitations This study contributes to an understanding of the real cognitive level of nurses. The explanation of physical activity helps to deepen understanding of the participants’ attitudes toward physical activity, and the rich interview data show that the thinking of the interviewees was not limited to sports and physical exercise. However, our study also has some limitations. Although this qualitative study was not primarily concerned with obtaining generalizable results [ 40 ], it is important to note that in our sample, nurses from the emergency department were overrepresented. Some studies have found that the physical activity level of nurses varies with the type of nursing unit and the nurses’ age and experience[ 41 ]. Although we comprehensively considered age, job title, length of service, marital status, and parenting when selecting research subjects, our sample lacked diversity in terms of departments and education levels. Despite its limitations, this study provides a broad overview of Chinese nurses' perceptions of physical activity. Conclusions This study highlights the lack of knowledge about physical activity among nurses in China. It is necessary to strengthen the popularization of physical activity guidelines among nurses. Our findings also suggest that factors such as improved physical and mental health, the pursuit of self-discipline, the promotion of sociability, successful experiences and motivation by role models encouraged the participants to actively participate in regular leisure-time physical activity. Nurses need to overcome numerous barriers to activity, and both internal and external factors hinder nurses’ participation in regular leisure-time physical activity. Our results also suggest that in addition to calling for medical institutions to "provide activity venues" and "organize activities", participants hoped that medical institutions could reduce the pressure of scientific research and study. These appeals should be noted by managers. In addition, the participants suggested feasible improvement strategies to encourage nurses to exercise during fragmented time. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical clearance was granted to the authors before the study by the Medical Ethics Committee of Tongji Hospital. The ethical code is TJ-IRB20210920. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. All methods were performed following the guidelines and regulations of qualitative research. The transcripts were coded without the participants’ names, and numbers were used in all publications and the dissemination of findings. Consent for publication Not Applicable Availability of data and materials The data and materials used for the analysis and conclusions are available from the corresponding author (e-mail address: [email protected] ) upon reasonable request. Competing interests The authors have no competing interests to declare. Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Authors' contributions All persons who meet the authorship criteria are listed as authors, and all authors certify that they have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in the design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript. Design of study: ZL, JC, YX, TZ, SH; acquisition of data: ZL, YX, TZ; analysis and/or interpretation of data: ZL, YX, JC, SH; drafting the manuscript: ZL; revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content: ZL, JC, YX, SH. All authors approved the version of the manuscript to be published. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank all the participants in the study who volunteered and added valuable perspectives to the results. Clinical trial number: not applicable References Caspersen CJ, Powell KE, Christenson GM. Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Rep. 1985;100(2):126–31. Li XY. Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: more physical activity for a healthier world. Beijing Forestry University; 2019. Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, Borodulin K, Buman MP, Cardon G, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 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Occupational and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Have Different Relationships With Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study of Working Nurses. J Phys Act Health. 2021;18(12):1495–502. Reed JL, Prince SA, Pipe AL, Attallah S, Adamo KB, Tulloch HE, Manuel D, Mullen KA, Fodor G, Reid RD. Influence of the workplace on physical activity and cardiometabolic health: Results of the multi-centre cross-sectional Champlain Nurses' study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2018;81:49–60. Sandelowski M. What's in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Res Nurs Health. 2010;33(1):77–84. Saunders B, Sim J, Kingstone T, Baker S, Waterfield J, Bartlam B, Burroughs H, Jinks C. Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Qual Quant. 2018;52(4):1893–907. Elo S, Kyngas H. The qualitative content analysis process. J Adv Nurs. 2008;62(1):107–15. Guo HX, Han XY, Guo W, Yuan PC, Wang Y, Xu J et al. Awareness of Physical Activity Guidelines for children and adolescents in China: The 12th National Sports Science Conference, Rizhao, Shandong, China, 2022: 2. Hell Cromwijk M, Metzelthin SF, Schoonhoven L, Verstraten C, Kroeze W, Man Van Ginkel JM. Nurses’ perceptions of their role with respect to promoting physical activity in adult patients: a systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2021;30(17–18):2540–62. Ross A, Yang L, Wehrlen L, Perez A, Farmer N, Bevans M. Nurses and health-promoting self-care: Do we practice what we preach? J Nurs Manage. 2019;27(3):599–608. Zhang Y, El GM, de Castillero ER. Synergistic effect of self-efficacy and social support on regular participation in leisure-time physical activity among nursing staff. Int J Nurs Pract. 2022:e13087. Ross A, Bevans M, Brooks AT, Gibbons S, Wallen GR. Nurses and Health-Promoting Behaviors: Knowledge May Not Translate Into Self-Care. Aorn J. 2017;105(3):267–75. Avraham R, Simon-Tuval T, Van Dijk D. The effect of regulatory focus and time preference on the dual process of physical activity: A cross-sectional study among nurses. J Adv Nurs. 2020;76(6):1404–15. Hurst C, Robinson SM, Witham MD, Dodds RM, Granic A, Buckland C, De Biase S, Finnegan S, Rochester L, Skelton DA et al. Resistance exercise as a treatment for sarcopenia: prescription and delivery. Age Ageing. 2022; 51(2). Hansen D, Niebauer J, Cornelissen V, Barna O, Neunhauserer D, Stettler C, Tonoli C, Greco E, Fagard R, Coninx K, et al. Exercise Prescription in Patients with Different Combinations of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Consensus Statement from the EXPERT Working Group. Sports Med. 2018;48(8):1781–97. Billinger SA, Arena R, Bernhardt J, Eng JJ, Franklin BA, Johnson CM, Mackay-Lyons M, Macko RF, Mead GE, Roth EJ, et al. Physical activity and exercise recommendations for stroke survivors: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2014;45(8):2532–53. Mc CV, Wills T, Crowley S. Nurses, age, job demands and physical activity at work and at leisure: A cross-sectional study. Appl Nurs Res. 2018;40:116–21. Prince SA, Elliott CG, Scott K, Visintini S, Reed JL. Device-measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health and fitness across occupational groups: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phy. 2019;16(1):30. Chappel SE, Verswijveren S, Aisbett B, Considine J, Ridgers ND. Nurses' occupational physical activity levels: A systematic review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2017;73:52–62. Zhang KM, Tulloch HE, Brunet J, Pipe AL, Reid RD, Prince SA, Reed JL. What Motivates Nurses to Exercise? Determinants of Physical Activity Among Canadian Nurses Using Self-Determination Theory. Ann Behav Med. 2020;54(6):381–90. Zhu DQ. The relationship between nurses' own weight and their attitude and behavior in weight management. Second Military Medical University; 2011. Deng YL. Study on fitness behavior of medical workers in Gansu Province. Health Vocat Educ. 2013;31(07):122–4. Kaewthummanukul T, Brown KC, Weaver MT, Thomas RR. Predictors of exercise participation in female hospital nurses. J Adv Nurs. 2006;54(6):663–75. Liu B, Liu QM, Ren YJ. Effect evaluation and influencing factors analysis of physical activity intervention among community medical staff in Hangzhou. Chin J Prev Med. 2015;12(49):1104–7. Power BT, Kiezebrink K, Allan JL, Campbell MK. Understanding perceived determinants of nurses' eating and physical activity behaviour: a theory-informed qualitative interview study. Bmc Obes. 2017;4:18. Zheng WX, Chen PY, Fang ZH, Nian JX. Research on the correlation between scientific research anxiety and job burnout of Operating Room nurses. Chin Health Standard Manage. 2022;13(21):87–91. Wu Y, Zhou X, Gong Y, Jiang N, Tian M, Zhang J, Yin X, Lv C. Work-Family Conflict of Emergency Nurses and Its Related Factors: A National Cross-Sectional Survey in China. Front Public Health. 2021;9:736625. Albert NM, Butler R, Sorrell J. Factors Related to Healthy Diet and Physical Activity in Hospital-Based Clinical Nurses. Online J Issues Nurs. 2014;19(3):5. Ross A, Touchton-Leonard K, Perez A, Wehrlen L, Kazmi N, Gibbons S. Factors That Influence Health-Promoting Self-care in Registered Nurses: Barriers and Facilitators. Adv Nurs Sci. 2019;42(4):358–73. Tyldesley-Marshall N, Greenfield SM, Parretti HM, Gokal K, Greaves C, Jolly K, Maddison R, Daley AJ. Snacktivity to Promote Physical Activity: a Qualitative Study. Int J Behav Med. 2022;29(5):553–64. Leung L. Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2015;4(3):324–7. Chang HE, Cho SH. Nurses' steps, distance traveled, and perceived physical demands in a three-shift schedule. Hum Resour Health. 2022;20(1):72. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 05 Nov, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 01 Nov, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 01 Nov, 2024 First submitted to journal 25 Oct, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5330864","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":374276445,"identity":"6df7656f-ea72-469d-be36-d2a8520d9573","order_by":0,"name":"Zheying Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zheying","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":374276446,"identity":"66f186d4-8bef-4a62-9fa6-cebb5c6e5d3c","order_by":1,"name":"Jing Cheng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jing","middleName":"","lastName":"Cheng","suffix":""},{"id":374276447,"identity":"7dda60f5-61b6-4fef-8f07-db82f253fca9","order_by":2,"name":"Yaru Xiao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yaru","middleName":"","lastName":"Xiao","suffix":""},{"id":374276448,"identity":"6054fc95-7944-4ebd-ba6e-d58696ad0958","order_by":3,"name":"Ting Zhou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ting","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhou","suffix":""},{"id":374276449,"identity":"f2c42ad0-d8be-40cf-94fb-c0670e1a23d0","order_by":4,"name":"Sufang Huang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDAC5jNgSo6Nmfngg4SKGiK0sOWAKWN+9rZkgwdnjhGvJXFmzxkzyYctzIR1yLfxHpP4uaOWccONtLSKxAY2Bv727gS8WgyO8aVJ9p45zmxwI/nYjcQdMgwSZ85uwK9FvsdMgrftGJsB0JYbiWfYGAwkcvFrkW/jMZP823aMx+BGjllBYhszYS0Mx3jMpHnbaiQkgd5nIEqLwTEeY2vZtgMGoECWSDhzjIegX4AOM7z5tq2uvg0YlR9/VNTI8bf3EnAYBByGs3iIUQ4CdcQqHAWjYBSMgpEIAGxQSb5I0VTwAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sufang","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-10-25 08:38:29","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5330864/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5330864/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":68913313,"identity":"c311d93c-73d8-46fa-b9fd-ddecf8456686","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-13 12:17:48","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":702083,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5330864/v1/78dcb185-d4c2-46cd-bc14-dd6599f45de7.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Nurses' perceptions of physical activity: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity as any activity involving the use of skeletal muscles and requiring energy expenditure[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. It is classified into four categories: leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical activity, household or domestic physical activity, and transportation physical activity. Regular engagement in physical activity has been scientifically proven to be beneficial for preventing and treating chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer. Furthermore, it enhances overall mental health and well-being[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Both the \u003cem\u003eWorld Health Organization 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior\u003c/em\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e] and the \u003cem\u003ePhysical Activity Guidelines for the Chinese Population (2021)\u003c/em\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e] recommend that adults should participate in 150\u0026ndash;300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities or 75\u0026ndash;150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities per week. Increasing levels of physical activity are strongly advised for adults to achieve additional health benefits such as weight maintenance[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e] [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. However, surveys conducted both domestically and internationally indicate that nurses generally have a low level of physical activity with approximately 60%-74% of foreign nurses failing to meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity levels. In China, the proportion of nurses meeting international guideline standards ranged from 45.6\u0026ndash;75%, which was lower than WHO's global adult compliance rate regarding physical activity levels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Although Chinese nurses exhibit a higher rate of qualified occupational activities compared to foreign nurses, their engagement in leisure-time exercise is limited. Recent studies have revealed distinct health effects between leisure-time PA and occupational PA [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9 CR10\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e], suggesting that occupational PA may not provide significant health benefits or could even be detrimental. Similar findings have been reported among nurse populations[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe deep understanding of nurses' perceptions of physical activity and the implementation of effective measures to promote their engagement in leisure-time physical activity are crucial.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo address the current gap in qualitative research on physical activity among nurses in China, this study employs phenomenological research methods to comprehensively explore nurses' cognitive processes, attitudes, and current practices regarding physical activity. By investigating the factors influencing leisure-time physical activity among nurses, this study aims to provide valuable insights for developing effective programs that promote physical activity during their leisure time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy design\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA qualitative research design and content analysis methods were adopted. This study used a descriptive research method[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e], which is a method that follows the philosophical foundation of natural inquiry. Compared to other qualitative research methods, the unique advantage of descriptive research is that the information obtained through interviews and other means reflects the most direct understanding or experience of the research object.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy participants and recruitment\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe method of purposive sampling was adopted. When there were no new ideas from nurses during interviews, the sample size was considered to have reached saturation, and no further interviews were needed[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. We recruited 30 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China. Among these 30 nurses, 29 nurses participated in face-to-face interviews, and 1 nurse participated in an online video interview due to the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic and working hours. The inclusion criteria for nurses were as follows: (1) have the \"Nurse Practitioner Qualification Certificate\" and have been registered; (2) officially on the job in a hospital; and (3) voluntary participation in this study. Practicing and training nurses were excluded.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eData Collection\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data were collected from September 2022 to May 2023 by a graduate student trained in qualitative research methodology. The research assistant (YX) sent an invitation to qualified nurses by e-mail. Written information on the purpose and procedure of the study was attached. Participants expressed their interest by replying to the e-mail and making an appointment for an interview. Based on the literature review, the interview outline was formulated according to the research purpose. The first author of the manuscript and the research assistant (YX) conducted a pretest of the interview. After the preinterview, sentences with unclear expression or ambiguity were adjusted, and the interview outline was revised and improved based on the feedback received. See Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e for the interview outline. All interviews were conducted in a quiet and private room to reduce interference and ensure the confidentiality of the data discussed. The interviews lasted 38.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.91 minutes on average. After the interviews, the participants received a gift (hand cream or a keychain of Bing Dwen Dwen of the Beijing Winter Olympics).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterview outline of nurses' perceptions of physical activity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"1\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterview outline\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ea.Do you know the concept of physical activity? What do you know about physical activity?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eb.Do you know the physical activity guidelines at home and abroad?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExplain physical activity to those who do not understand, and then ask the following questions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ec.What is your level of physical activity?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ed.What do you think physical activity will bring to you?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ee.What factors do you think contribute to your regular leisure-time physical activity? What factors are holding you back?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ef.What support do you need to help you better engage in regular leisure-time physical activity?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eContent analysis was used for the data analysis[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. After face-to-face and video interviews with 30 nurses, the data reached saturation. Within 24 hours after each interview, the researcher converted the recording into written material, and another researcher checked it. After the initial transcription, accuracy was ensured by repeating the reference records or through further communication with the participants. The materials were coded, classified and analyzed with NVivo 11 (QSR International Patent Co., Ltd., Melbourne, VIC, Australia). Two researchers independently coded the data, analyzed, compared and verified them, and finally reached a consensus on the themes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eParticipant characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThirty nurses (90.00% female) from different departments participated. The participants\u0026rsquo; characteristics are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The participants\u0026rsquo; average age was 34.23 years (SD\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.73). 83.33% were married or cohabitated, 63.33% had children, and 96.67% had completed university education. 56.67% of the participants were emergency nurses, and 53.33% were senior nurses\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants' characteristics(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of Participants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBMI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducational level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarriage status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of children\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYears of work experience\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional Title\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDepartment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor Purse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior college\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCohabiting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternal Medicine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCohabiting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOperating Room\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessor of Nursing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCohabiting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternal Medicine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurgery Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDepartment of Critical Care Medicine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDivorced\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssociate Professor of Nursing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmergency Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssociate Professor of Nursing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDepartment of Critical Care Medicine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurgery Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurgery Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurgery Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epediatric department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupervisor nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epediatric department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssociate Professor of Nursing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternal Medicine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree or above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior nurse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurgery Department\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"10\"\u003eAbbreviations: \u003cem\u003eW\u003c/em\u003e woman, \u003cem\u003eM\u003c/em\u003e man\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"10\"\u003ea Age in year\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTheme analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe identified five main themes in our qualitative data. References to the participants\u0026rsquo; quotes are bracketed and represented by their interview numbers. For example, a quotation from Participant 13 is indicated as \u0026ldquo;(P13)\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTheme 1: Lack of awareness of the recommended physical activity guidelines\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vast majority of respondents claimed they did not know much about physical activity or had not even heard of the term. Only a few participants had some knowledge of physical activity through reading literature, and very few participants reported that they had become aware of their sedentary behavior through exercise watches. Therefore, their knowledge of the national physical activity guidelines was very limited.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"[It is] too professional. I have not been exposed to this concept. This belongs to my knowledge blind area....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P13)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \"I haven't been exposed to physical activity guidelines, but my sports watch warns me not to sit for too long. \"\u003c/em\u003e(P9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The participants had different understandings of physical activity. The vast majority of participants thought that physical activity meant \"moving\" or \"nonstationary\". Most participants indicated that physical activity meant additional physical exercise, and some participants considered their activity at work and housework to also fall under the category of physical activity. A few participants emphasized that walking while commuting was also a form of physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"As long as the body is moving, it's activity. I believe walking to and from work, walking, exercising, [and] moving around the workplace are physical activity....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants focused on heart rate and calorie consumption during exercise, emphasizing that exercise at a certain intensity was effective. A few participants linked physical activity to mental activity and thinking.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Exercise at a certain intensity will have better results. I use a sports watch to monitor my heart rate and energy expenditure. I burn about 170\u0026ndash;180 calories per run, and my heart rate is generally maintained at 160\u0026ndash;170 beats per minute. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P20)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Flowing water does not rot. People need activities to live. Physical activity should include two aspects: one is mental activity, and the other is physical movement. Thinking of the brain is also a physical activity....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P4)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTheme 2: Benefits of physical activity\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe participants knew the benefits of physical activity and the risks associated with inactivity and showed a positive attitude toward participating in physical activity. When asked about the benefits of physical activity, the participants explained that physical activity has a positive impact on physical health (e.g., it enhances physical fitness and immunity, increases muscle strength and endurance, strengthens heart and lung function, enhances metabolism, controls weight and improves body posture, improves sleep, relieves fatigue, and relieves muscle and joint health problems). They also mentioned mental health benefits (e.g., improved mood and reduced stress, enhanced pleasure and well-being, and improved cognition and learning ability), and this positive feedback made them move more.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Life lies in sports. Not only can sports make the body younger and joints more flexible, it can also extend our life and strengthen our constitution and immunity. When you exercise, your mental state improves. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"For me, there are benefits for relieving fatigue, better body shape and better sleep and so on. I run when I'm in a bad mood, and I sweat a lot. After running, I feel exceedingly happy, and some of the bad mood is cleared away....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants emphasized that exercise improved their performance at work, allowing them to have clearer thinking and a more positive attitude.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"After active exercise, I work with a more active and clear mind and a positive attitude. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P28)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Some participants pointed out that physical activity can improve interpersonal relationships and is an effective way to promote communication and friendship.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I work out a lot with my parents and kids, and we have a lot of interaction when we play sports, and I enjoy it. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen asked about the consequences of a lack of physical activity, most participants mentioned health risks (e.g., high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"My colleague's blood lipids are on the high side. She's a bit fat, and she doesn't exercise much.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants highlighted the importance of prescribed exercise and believed that nurses had great potential in health consultations on physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Nurses are practitioners, propagandists and disseminators. Exercise is a prescription. Under the vision of the Healthy China Initiative, nurses should play a propaganda role. I always pay attention to what disease patients have. If it is a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, I will tell them about physical activity....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P12)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eTheme 3\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003cem\u003eurrent status of physical activity\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost participants claimed that their total physical activity was at a medium level compared with construction workers and other purely manual laborers. The vast majority of nurses believed that their physical activity involved mainly occupational physical activities and fewer leisure time physical activities. \u003cem\u003e\"Nurses have more occupational physical activity, but in general, it is at a moderate level. Compared with some people who engage in heavy physical activities in the construction industry, nurses are still relatively relaxed....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Work makes me tired. I seldom exercise in my spare time.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P21)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical activity during working hours was accumulated through walking, carrying equipment and attending to patients.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Doctor's mouth, nurse's legs. Nurses rarely have time to sit down to rest.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (P30).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I work in the ICU. I have to turn patients over several times a day and sometimes push a patient out for examination. Some patients in the ward need dialysis, a bag of 4 kg weight dialysate, and dialysis uses up several bags....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P18)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The forms of leisure-time physical activity reported by the participants were diverse, including walking, brisk walking, running, jumping rope, aerobics, playing badminton and yoga. Most participants preferred professional venues, and a few participants participated in muscle strength training.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I usually exercise. Sometimes I run, walk briskly, or go to the gym to use the elliptical machine to do some aerobic exercise, and I also do some anaerobic exercise at home, such as local muscle exercises. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P15)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost participants reported that occupational physical activity was different from leisure-time physical activity and could have negative effects. In their opinions, leisure-time physical activity is spontaneous activity and involves a relaxed state, while occupational physical activity is carried out in a stressful environment that puts the body in a state of stress, tension and fatigue. Some participants also believed that the heart rate during occupational physical activity usually does not reach a certain value, so it cannot achieve the same effect as physical exercise such as running.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Leisure-time physical activity is spontaneous activity, while at work, the entire\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003ebody is in a tense state, and the mind is not thinking of something relaxing. It will only make you feel tired. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P28)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe main types of travel reported by participants were walking, taking cars and cycling, depending on their commuting distance to work.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I live outside the Second Ring Road. It takes an hour to drive to work or 45 minutes by subway.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P26)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost participants indicated that they were mainly responsible for childcare, in line with Chinese cultural traditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"When I'm at home, I take care of the baby. She is very dependent on me and is a sweet burden. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTheme 5: Influencing factors of regular leisure-time physical activity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumerous factors, including facilitators and barriers, influenced the participants' participation in leisure-time physical activity. With regard to facilitating factors for initiating regular leisure-time physical activity, the participants reported internal motivation (improving physical and mental health/becoming more self-disciplined/promoting social interaction/interest) and extrinsic motivation (rewards).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImproving physical and mental health was commonly cited as a driver of regular leisure-time physical activity, especially when the health of the participants was at stake. This was followed by weight management, especially after a nurse had given birth.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"My postprandial blood sugar was high in my physical examination, which the doctor thought was related to my work habits. Because I am mainly responsible for teaching now, I spend seven or eight hours a day sitting, and I don\u0026rsquo;t exercise after work... I think I still need to exercise more.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P20)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;After giving birth, I gained a lot of weight. My body hasn\u0026rsquo;t recovered adequately, so I want to exercise.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (P7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, participants also mentioned other motivations, such as exercising to become more self-disciplined and to develop and promote social interests. \u003cem\u003e\"I like playing badminton very much. Playing badminton makes my life more regular, and playing badminton with friends is important for a happy social life.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P29)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne participant reported that she would be highly motivated to participate in regular leisure-time physical activity if there was a material reward.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"If there was a bonus for exercise, I would be willing to do sports.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P13)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll participants reported one or more barriers to regular leisure-time physical activity. These barriers are associated with internal factors (e.g., fatigue, lack of time, lack of motivation, experiences of failure, fear of sports injury, illness factors) or external factors in the physical or social environment (e.g., lack of peer or family support, lack of convenient places to exercise, adverse weather, economic factors).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Nurses walk more than 10,000 steps a day, and their energy is mainly consumed at work. After work, they must lie down and rest to recover their energy. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants mentioned more barriers than others. They frequently had insufficient family support, such as having young children to care for or helping children learn.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I have time to exercise since my children are in kindergarten.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P25)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"[There is] no one to help me. My parents have no culture to guide the children's studies.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P21)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants indicated that unpleasant exercise experiences(eg.getting injured) made them lose confidence.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I've tried exercise to lose weight, but I've failed. Worst of all, I sprained my ankle while jumping rope, and I am afraid of getting hurt again. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne participant mentioned that illness factors prevented her from participating in vigorous activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I have asthma, so I am absolutely afraid to participate in running, playing badminton and other strenuous sports\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003e\"\u003c/em\u003e (P18)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The participants indicated that facilitators of regular leisure-time physical activity were related to experiences. Successful practical experiences and the motivation of role models were frequently mentioned as facilitators. Compared to popular athletes (e.g., Liu Genghong) on the internet, colleagues, friends and family members around them were more motivating role models.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"At that time, I often went to the gym and ran. I lost 5 kg in a month and felt more energetic.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P19)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"My colleague's body shape changed significantly after Pilates practice. I signed up for Pilates classes and planned to practice once a week. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants mentioned that it was difficult to continue exercising. Choosing an appropriate exercise method, setting achievable exercise goals, and formulating a feasible exercise plan helped them develop regular exercise habits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I didn't make an exercise plan, which may be the reason why I didn't continue exercising!\"\u003c/em\u003e (P6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants mentioned that their high perceived risk of disease motivated their participation in regular leisure-time physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"There are many obese people in my family, and they all have high blood pressure, so I have a strong sense of crisis. In order to avoid being like them, I will consciously exercise. For example, I usually take the stairs instead of the elevator....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P12)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eTheme 6: Strategies to promote regular leisure-time physical activity.\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The participants indicated that most of the time, they had the intention to exercise but lacked corresponding support. Social support factors mentioned included informational support (e.g., free/inexpensive sports venue information), environmental support (e.g., sports venues and facilities in the workplace/organized activities), peer/family support (e.g., sports partner/family support) and more time for exercise (e.g., flexible schedule/concentration of studies or online mode/reliable childcare). Some participants wished for more social support.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"In fact, there are some free sports venues around our community, but most people don't pay attention to this information. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P23)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"I can exercise, but the ideal situation is to have a partner. \"\u003c/em\u003e(P16)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants stated that sports venues were extremely important for creating a positive atmosphere for exercise and resisting adverse weather conditions (e.g., rain and heat). In addition, convenient sports venues can save time, and free venues can reduce economic expenses. They expected the workplace to provide sports equipment and venues and to offer more sports activities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"If you want to go to the gym, you must pay for the venue and the teacher. Many sports require a professional teacher\u0026rsquo;s guidance, which is relatively expensive. \"\u003c/em\u003e (P2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eMy husband's work unit has a place to exercise. Our hospital can learn from them and organize activities\u003c/em\u003e.\" (P23)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome participants highlighted that they needed more time for regular leisure-time physical activity, and they hoped that institutions and managers would make some changes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"Study, lectures, meetings, and scientific research tasks will take up your time and energy. It would be nice if night shifts weren't so frequent and study sessions were concentrated....\"\u003c/em\u003e (P16)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA minority of participants suggested that fragmented exercise sessions should be used to achieve better results.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003e\"We can use spare time to exercise, such as walking for a few minutes instead of sitting down immediately after eating.\"\u003c/em\u003e (P24)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study explored nurses' perceptions of physical activity, including their knowledge, attitudes and experiences. Our thematic analysis revealed six main themes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e A significant finding was that participants' knowledge of physical activity guidelines was limited. Although physical activity is not a new concept, the Chinese nursing community is surprisingly unfamiliar with it, suggesting that physical activity guidelines have not been widely publicized in China. This is consistent with the study by Guo Haixia et al., which found that general awareness of physical activity guidelines among adults in China was low, and the level of accurate awareness was less than 1%[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Our findings showed that the participants in this study often confused physical activity with exercise, and a few participants had different understandings of physical activity. These factors are not conducive for nurses to perform physical activity health education for patients. Nurses play an active role in promoting physical activity and regard it as an important part of their professional role[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. Studies have found that nurses who are physically active are more effective in supporting patients in increasing their physical activity[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. The participants in this study were very aware of the benefits of physical activity and fully recognized the importance of physical activity, such as promoting physical and mental health and improving interpersonal relationships, consistent with the views previously reported by nurses[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. Although the majority of participants in this study were not actively engaged in leisure-time physical activity, most participants showed positive attitudes toward physical activity. Similarly, studies by Ross et al.[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e] and Avraham et al.[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e] showed that although nurses knew the benefits of physical activity and the risks associated with inactivity, they did not apply their knowledge to their own lives. Some participants mentioned the importance of prescribed exercise. Prescribed exercise for people with different diseases can help medical staff choose appropriate exercise training methods for patients to improve their health[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR24\" citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding the actual physical activity level of the participants, they reported more occupational physical activity and less leisure-time physical activity. This is consistent with the studies by McCarthy et al.[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e] and Prince et al.[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e], which showed that 73% of the daily physical activity of nurses was accumulated during working hours. In addition, most participants reported that busy work resulted in a lack of energy to engage in leisure-time physical activity; similar results have been reported in previous studies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. Studies have shown that nurses' occupational physical activity is largely low intensity, which is consistent with the feelings of the participants in this study [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. However, most participants also indicated that occupational physical activity may not have a positive impact on health, which indirectly confirms the existence of the physical activity paradox[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. However, adequate occupational physical activity should not be an excuse for negative leisure-time physical activity among nurses. Health promotion interventions should emphasize the importance of achieving adequate moderate to vigorous leisure-time physical activity for everyone, including people who engage in substantial occupational physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegular leisure-time physical activity is influenced by a variety of facilitating and discouraging factors. With regard to motivation for engaging in regular leisure-time physical activity, nurses are more likely to engage in physical activity due to intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. This is consistent with the findings of a study by Karen et al.[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e] In this study, motivation was often triggered by a specific event, such as the sudden identification of a medical condition (e.g., elevated blood lipids or glucose levels) or gaining weight after childbirth. Notably, the participants in our study had BMI values that ranged from 17.6 to 25.4, with 78.26% in the normal range. This finding confirms that the overweight rate and the obesity rate of Chinese nurses are significantly lower than those of the general population[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Chinese nurses pay attention to their own body image management and have a high pursuit of beauty. Promoting social interaction is considered important, and participants can enhance their social participation and contact opportunities through activities. Interest is another important motivation, consistent with previous reports[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBarriers to participating in regular leisure-time physical activity among nurses included exhaustion, lack of time, lack of motivation, experience of failure, fear of sports injury, disease factors, lack of peer or family support, lack of convenient places to exercise, weather and financial reasons, consistent with the previous literature[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR33\" citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. The participants reported work-related study tasks and research pressure as barriers to having sufficient time to engage in regular leisure-time physical activity. These factors are related to the hospital's assessment of nurses, including scientific research ability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Participants in the parenting group reported more barriers that were correlated with work-family conflict. Exercise was often not prioritized when it could not be reconciled with family responsibilities[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith regard to the promotion of regular leisure-time physical activity among the participants, successful practice experiences and motivation from role models were identified as the most important facilitators. Successful experiences and others' motivation can enhance self-efficacy in social activities, and the physical activity level of nurses is associated with high self-efficacy[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. In this study, four participants became positive role models through successful practice experiences, motivated others to engage in regular leisure-time physical activity and received good feedback, consistent with previous studies[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, two participants disclosed that they had a family history of hypertension and diabetes and that they were concerned that a lack of physical activity would lead to the development of these diseases. Although only two participants reported this, it is important to note that the nurses\u0026rsquo; experience of physical activity was significantly associated with their perception of high disease risk, which was closely related to their occupation. This perception greatly influenced the nurses\u0026rsquo; decision-making and health-related behavior and helped them transform awareness into behavior.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe participants reported needing more social support to promote regular leisure-time physical activity. Social support factors included informational support, environmental support, and peer/family support, which were previously highlighted in other studies[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, a few participants proposed using fragmented time for exercise, which coincides with the snacktivity strategy. Snacktivity is a novel approach to motivate people to be physically active. It focuses on promoting short (2\u0026ndash;5 min) and frequent episodes, or \"snacks,\" of physical activity throughout the day [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. This concept sheds new light on the development of intervention strategies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStrengths and limitations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study contributes to an understanding of the real cognitive level of nurses. The explanation of physical activity helps to deepen understanding of the participants\u0026rsquo; attitudes toward physical activity, and the rich interview data show that the thinking of the interviewees was not limited to sports and physical exercise. However, our study also has some limitations. Although this qualitative study was not primarily concerned with obtaining generalizable results [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e], it is important to note that in our sample, nurses from the emergency department were overrepresented. Some studies have found that the physical activity level of nurses varies with the type of nursing unit and the nurses\u0026rsquo; age and experience[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. Although we comprehensively considered age, job title, length of service, marital status, and parenting when selecting research subjects, our sample lacked diversity in terms of departments and education levels. Despite its limitations, this study provides a broad overview of Chinese nurses' perceptions of physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study highlights the lack of knowledge about physical activity among nurses in China. It is necessary to strengthen the popularization of physical activity guidelines among nurses. Our findings also suggest that factors such as improved physical and mental health, the pursuit of self-discipline, the promotion of sociability, successful experiences and motivation by role models encouraged the participants to actively participate in regular leisure-time physical activity. Nurses need to overcome numerous barriers to activity, and both internal and external factors hinder nurses\u0026rsquo; participation in regular leisure-time physical activity. Our results also suggest that in addition to calling for medical institutions to \"provide activity venues\" and \"organize activities\", participants hoped that medical institutions could reduce the pressure of scientific research and study. These appeals should be noted by managers. In addition, the participants suggested feasible improvement strategies to encourage nurses to exercise during fragmented time.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical clearance was granted to the authors before the study by the Medical Ethics Committee of Tongji Hospital. The ethical code is TJ-IRB20210920. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. All methods were performed following the guidelines and regulations of qualitative research. The transcripts were coded without the participants\u0026rsquo; names, and numbers were used in all publications and the dissemination of findings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003eNot Applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe data and materials used for the analysis and conclusions are available from the corresponding author (e-mail address: [email protected]) upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors have no competing interests to declare.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAll persons who meet the authorship criteria are listed as authors, and all authors certify that they have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in the design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDesign of study: ZL, JC,\u0026nbsp;YX, TZ, SH; acquisition of data: ZL, YX, TZ; analysis and/or interpretation of data: ZL, YX,\u0026nbsp;JC, SH; drafting the manuscript: ZL; revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content: ZL, JC, YX, SH. All authors approved the version of the manuscript to be published.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors would like to thank all the participants in the study who volunteered and added valuable perspectives to the results.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClinical trial number: not applicable\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCaspersen CJ, Powell KE, Christenson GM. Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Rep. 1985;100(2):126\u0026ndash;31.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLi XY. Global action plan on physical activity 2018\u0026ndash;2030: more physical activity for a healthier world. 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Work-Family Conflict of Emergency Nurses and Its Related Factors: A National Cross-Sectional Survey in China. Front Public Health. 2021;9:736625.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlbert NM, Butler R, Sorrell J. Factors Related to Healthy Diet and Physical Activity in Hospital-Based Clinical Nurses. Online J Issues Nurs. 2014;19(3):5.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRoss A, Touchton-Leonard K, Perez A, Wehrlen L, Kazmi N, Gibbons S. Factors That Influence Health-Promoting Self-care in Registered Nurses: Barriers and Facilitators. Adv Nurs Sci. 2019;42(4):358\u0026ndash;73.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTyldesley-Marshall N, Greenfield SM, Parretti HM, Gokal K, Greaves C, Jolly K, Maddison R, Daley AJ. Snacktivity to Promote Physical Activity: a Qualitative Study. Int J Behav Med. 2022;29(5):553\u0026ndash;64.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLeung L. Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2015;4(3):324\u0026ndash;7.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChang HE, Cho SH. Nurses' steps, distance traveled, and perceived physical demands in a three-shift schedule. Hum Resour Health. 2022;20(1):72.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-nursing","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"nurs","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Nursing](http://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/nurs/default.aspx","title":"BMC Nursing","twitterHandle":"@BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"nurse, physical activity, perception, qualitative research","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5330864/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5330864/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective: \u003c/strong\u003eTo study Chinese nurses’ overall perception of physical activity and explore potential strategies to promote their regular leisure-time physical activity levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e Using descriptive qualitative research methods, semistructured interviews were conducted with 30 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China, from September 2022 to May 2023. Content analysis was used to analyze the data and extract the themes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Five themes were identified: 1) lack of awareness of the recommended physical activity guidelines; 2)benefits of physical activity; 3) current status of physical activity; 4)influencing factors of regular leisure-time physical activity; and 5) strategies to promote regular leisure-time physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions:\u003c/strong\u003e Health administrative departments and medical institutions should attach great importance to the popularization of physical activity knowledge and promotion of physical activity in nurses. By strengthening propaganda and education, and to provide scientific guidance and effective intervention, promote the nurses to participate in leisure physical activities regularly, to ensure their physical and mental health, improve medical service quality.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Nurses' perceptions of physical activity: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-11-13 12:09:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5330864/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-11-05T09:26:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-11-01T08:01:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-11-01T08:00:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Nursing","date":"2024-10-25T08:35:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-nursing","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"nurs","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Nursing](http://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/nurs/default.aspx","title":"BMC Nursing","twitterHandle":"@BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d0d00e68-cf22-45cf-9ebb-1c227017ce9e","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 13th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-11-13T12:09:41+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-11-13 12:09:41","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5330864","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5330864","identity":"rs-5330864","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}