Analysis of current status of and barriers to exercise participation among patients on maintenance hemodialysis

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the current status of barriers to exercise participation (EP) among patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 277 outpatients undergoing MHD in 2 tertiary first-class hospitals in Beijing from February 2023 to June 2023 who were selected using convenience sampling method. The data of patients on MHD were collected using the general information questionnaire, Physical Activity Rating Scale, Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS), and Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES). The relationship between EP and barriers to EP was analyzed through univariate and multivariate linear regression models. Results: Patients on MHD had a low exercise volume score of 13.71 ± 0.68 points and a medium EBBS score of 63.36 ± 0.40 points. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that exercise volume was significantly related to the following four aspects, including low monthly household income per capita (odds ratio [OR] = 86.741, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.164–6.465], P = 0.042), primary underlying disease of diabetic nephropathy (OR = 45.993, 95% CI [1.353–1.564], P = 0.033), the belief that “fatigue in lower extremities hinders exercise” (OR = 4.697, 95% CI [1.127–19.585], P = 0.034), and the belief that “physical exercise bringing optimistic and positive life attitude” (OR = 0.074, 95% CI [0.007–0.830], P = 0.035). Conclusions: Since patients on MHD had low physical exercise volume, the health-care provider should pay more attention on the controllable factors that affect the EP of patients on MHD. Therefore, feasible and effective intervention measures can be formulated based on ESES in clinical nursing.