Perceptions Toward Exercise or Mindful Exercise Participation Among Patients With Primary Osteoporosis: A Qualitative Study.

Exercise is significantly beneficial for patients with osteoporosis. However, physiological and psychological factors such as pain and kinesiophobia prevented patients from participating in exercise. Therefore, it is important to understand how these patients perceive participation in exercise. This qualitative study was conducted in China using conventional content analysis. Using a purposeful sampling method, 17 patients with primary osteoporosis were recruited. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and managed using ATLAS.ti 21. Nine generic categories were developed from 26 subcategories and two main categories were identified: Barriers and Facilitators. Support systems, network resources, positive emotions, and reactions were the facilitators for exercise in this study. In addition, mindful exercise was positively viewed by the patients, while insufficient awareness, weak support system, and burden were the barriers. Targeted exercise protocols should be developed for these patients based on these perceptions, to improve compliance in clinical practice.