Table 4 Facilitators of change

Professional support

‘They (the health professionals) know the exercise I’m doing, which was good because sometimes when you do exercise you have no breath. You think ‘I’m going to kill myself” (F, 81, NI, G+16, D+8).

‘I cannot speak highly enough of that practice … such great care, the time they have for you, they get to know you as a person.’ (M, 72, NI, G+24.5 (105), D NA (22)).

‘If I come in with a question they’ll go to a lot of trouble to answer.’ (M, 69, RoI, G+37 (76), D-4 (31)).

‘I bought a wok as opposed to the frying pan. It was Doctor (XX) who suggested the wok. He said you’ll eat healthier, and I did.’ (M, 56, NI, G0 (0), D+15 (59)).

Setting goals

‘I had to face (nurse) every four months. I didn’t want to come in and put up the half a stone (target) when I could come in and have lost a few pounds … that was one of the most beneficial things, the target setting.’ (M, 69, RoI, G+37 (76), D-4 (31)).

‘You don’t want to disappoint somebody when you’ve entered into some sort of pact … .’ (M, 56, NI, G0 (0), D+15 (59)).

Enjoyment

‘I’d often be kind of down and you’d go out for a walk, meet someone.... maybe talk.... and when you come back you feel that bit better.’ (M, 65, RoI, G NA (21), D+20 (71)).

‘I walk a couple of miles every other day there, up round the mountain.... it certainly helps.’ (M, 65, NI, G+3 (9), D-2 (17)).

‘I found I liked gardening, it’s got an objective.’ (M, 69, RoI, G+37 (76), D-4 (31)).

‘With fruit, it has its own taste and its own attraction.... you don’t have to add sauce, vinegar, salt or anything else to it. You get into the way of it, it tastes lovely.’ (M, 56, NI, G0 (0), D+15 (59)).

Fears

‘I walk about 20 miles a week, I don’t want any trouble again.... if I can do anything to keep myself right I’ll do it, whatever the cost. Fear.... fear is a great thing.’ (M, 65, RoI, G NA, (21), D+20 (71)).

‘You have to think about your family. What if something happens to you?’ (M, 65, NI, G+3 (9), D-2 (17)).

Social networks

‘She does the cooking so she has control over what I’m eating. I do have an odd biscuit but instead of a packet a night it’s two or three a year…I would never have thought of walking up and down the house, she said oh that back corridor is 90 feet long, work that out in miles and do enough to walk a mile.’ (M, 69, RoI, G+37 (76), D-4 (31)).

‘We would go for a walk in the park, you hear all the gossip (laughs). My friends … coaxing me into going (swimming).’ (F, 74, NI, G-3 (9), D-28 (57))

‘It was very useful. Twenty of us met and discussed our problems between us.’ (M, 65, RoI, G NA (21), D+20 (71)).

‘Have to be (fit), because the wife’s very ill.’ (M, 74, NI, G NA (41), D+7 (29)).

‘I have a very demanding dog, I walk maybe six to eight miles every day. Without her I don’t think I’d be around at all.’ (M, 74, RoI, G+21 (63), D-6 (20)).