Effect of Aerobic Exercise on the General Health of Nurses; a Case Study of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences’ Hospitals

Aims: The general health of nurses is always at risk due to difficult working conditions. Although exercise interventions, especially aerobic exercise, may improve the general health of nurses, no study has been found in this area so far. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of aerobic exercise on the general health of nurses. Materials Methods: This interventional study was carried out on 60 female nurses working in hospitals affiliated with Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2017. Nurses were selected by the available sampling method and assigned to control and intervention groups by block randomization. Data were selected by General health and demographic questionnaires. The intervention group practiced three 1-hour sessions per week for eight weeks in the gym according to the exercise program, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The general health questionnaire was assessed in two groups before, immediately, and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS 19 software through T, chi-square tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance. Findings: The mean±SD age of participants was 33.0±2.7 years. The effect of the group was significant (p=0.001) and showed an improvement in the general health of nurses participating in the intervention group after the intervention compared to the control group (p=0.02). The effect of time was also significant because the mean general health of participants changed significantly over time in both control and intervention groups (p 0.001). However, time-group interaction was not significant (p 0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise in nurses improves general health in the initial period after the intervention.