The Effect of an Educational Intervention Based on the Health Action Process Approach on Physical Activity among Retired Female Employees

Background: Physical activity during retirement is one of the health promotion determinants in this group. This study was conducted to determine the effect of an educational intervention based on the health action process approach (HAPA) on the levels of physical activity among retired female employees. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted among 97 retired women, selected through a simple random sampling technique, and divided into two groups. The primary instruments employed for data collection included the International Standard Physical Activity Behavior Questionnaire (IPAQ) and a researcher-made questionnaire based on the HAPA. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20, incorporating a range of statistical tests, namely Spearman’s correlation, independent and paired t-tests, the Willcoxon signed-rank test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: After the educational intervention, the average score of different levels of physical activity has increased significantly (p 0.05). In addition, three months after the intervention, the score of all the constructs of the HAPA model except for the structure of action planning and coping planning, was significantly increased (p 0.05). Conclusion: The implementation of an intervention based on the HAPA can improve the level of physical activity in middle-aged women. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies based on this approach be conducted in other target groups to promote physical activity.