Health promoting behaviors in low-income overweight and obese women in Korea: an exploratory qualitative study

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore and understand the health promoting behaviors of low-income overweight and obese women in Korea. METHODS: Data were collected from 10 low-income overweight and obese women working at a community self-sufficiency center through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Individual interviews were conducted and transcribed. Deductive content analysis was done, using the MAXQDA program. RESULTS: The health promoting behaviors practiced by low-income overweight and obese women were affected by intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational/community factors. Six categories were identified and two category clusters were derived that could best describe their health promoting experiences. As main category clusters, despite “feeling that the body and mind are not healthy” participants noted “difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle.” Overall, the participants had poor nutritional status, lacked physical activity, experienced much stress in intrapersonal level, and faced intrapersonal-level barriers to health promoting behaviors. Moreover, participants had a lack of personal will, and lack of specific information to practice health promoting behaviors, a lack of time, and too many overall burdens to earn a living for their family while trying to maintain health promotion behaviors. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle interventions for nutrition management, encouragement of physical activity, and stress management are needed for overweight and obese low-income women. In addition, social support and policies are needed to improve their living environment.