Factors associated with committed participation in a wellness

Wellness activities can benefit health, yet committed adherence is challenging. Identify factors associated with committed participation in an amputee wellness-walking program and determine benefits of committed participation. Prospective longitudinal cohort. Two former Paralympians led the wellness-walking sessions. Participants provided medical history and self-reported balance confidence and prosthetic functional measures. Physiotherapy professionals/paraprofessionals assessed balance and gait. Committed participants—those attending three sessions within 3？years—were compared to one-time-only participants using Fisher’s exact and independent t-tests. First and third sessions for committed participants were compared with t-tests. A bootstrapped multivariable logistic regression model was developed using significant univariate predictors. A total of 305 volunteers averaged 55.7？±？15.2？years, including 68.4% men, 78.4% White race; 51.8% with dysvascular amputations, 40.5% with ？1 prosthetic knee; and 49.1% independent community walkers. Committed participants were initially similar to one-time-only participants (p？>？0.05) except for fewer years since amputation (p？=？0.007), better balance ability (p？=？0.001), and greater likelihood of dieting (p？=？0.030). The final model—balance ability (odds ratio？=？2.4), dieting (odds ratio？=？3.3), and years since amputation (odds ratio？=？0.94)—identified 88.0% of committed participants (p？=？0.007). Balance confidence and functional improvements after three sessions were not significant (p？>？0.07). Committed participants were more likely to diet, have better balance ability, and have more recent amputations than one-time-only participants. Knowing which characteristics identify people most likely to become committed participants—such as people with recent amputations, an interest in dieting, and better balance ability—may help health practitioners from different professions promote consistent participation in wellness activities that may benefit self-reported function