This makes it perhaps a less-useful theory for this particular research if practical knowledge and effects that will have a real and direct impact on public health are sought in addition to purely academic gains in knowledge.
Relevance to Community Health Nursing
This research and its outcomes and conclusions will be most directly useful for nurses that are practicing in low-income and predominantly African-American communities, as this was the population of focus in the study itself and thus this is the community to which the results are the most applicable. Within this community, it is clear that community health nurses should create a focus on what constitutes "exercise" as the term is used by physicians and nurses in regards to cardiovascular health and the prevention/mitigation of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors, in order to help patients and the community at large understand not only the need for exercise, but also the practicalities and benchmarks of that exercise....
As exercise self-definition was the only predictive factor the researchers encountered in this admittedly limited study, this is the most practical and direct implication that the research has for the practice of community health nursing.
The fact that the research does not have any other direct or practical implications for community health nursing is itself an indicator that more research is needed in this area, however, and given the obesity epidemic and the rising rates and risks of cardiovascular disease this research should be undertaken immediately. The lack of direct knowledge regarding how to convince people to adjust lifestyles and reduce their risks of cardiovascular disease and death is no doubt a contributing factor to this very prevalent and growing problem, and this article does a great deal to highlight the lack of relevant knowledge or even a comprehensive model for assessing the situation. Community health nurses should heed the call for further research that this article puts forth.
