Kropp och själ bakom stängda dörrar
En kvalitativ studie om fysisk aktivitet hos kvinnor i skyddat boende
AimsThe aim of this study was to conclude whether women living and staff working in a women´s shelter feel experience a need of physical activity in the shelter and also what thoughts women living and staff working in the shelter have regarding possible access to physical activity. Following questions were adressed: Does women living and staff working in the shelter experience that there is a need of physical activity in the shelter? What does women living, and staff working, in the shelter think about the physical activity conducted in the shelter? Why does the women living in the shelter choose to participate in the physical activity? Are there any connections between symptoms which battered women can suffer from and symptoms which scientific studies say can be reduced by physical activity?MethodsThe study is based on five interviews in order to understand and illustrate how women living in a shelter relate to physical activity. The answers from the interviews has been correlated to scientific results and other literature in the area. Literature studies have also derived background information as well as a deeper knowledge regarding in what way violence against women affect the abused woman.ResultsThe results show a need for physical activity at the women?s shelter where this study was conducted. There were mainly three re-occurring subjects in the interviews: community, occupying and independence. The shelter-living women considered it to be a good thing to exercise together. The physical activity made them feel better both physically and in spirit, mainly because it is a social activity and where not only the shelter-living women participate but also the working staff. The voluntary aspect were also positive since compulsory activities often are experienced as bothersome. There was also a correlation between the symptoms mentioned by the shelter-living women in the interviews and symptoms which, according to scientific studies, can be reduced by physical activity.ConclusionThis study shows that the women living and the staff working in the shelter experience a need of physical activity within the shelter. It also shows that the staff believes this to be a good complement to the existing activities in the shelter. There are in other words a need of physical activity in women shelter?s.