Table 2;

Facilitators of and Barriers to increased PA: use of themes by Improvers and Non-improvers, with illustrative quotations.

Intervention features ↓	Improvers (n = 19)		Non-Improvers (n = 11)
	Facilitators	Barriers	Facilitators	Barriers
Pedometer	n = 19	n = 3	n = 10	n = 4
	Actually it was quite a revelation. You don't realise how much you walk and umm … uhh how many steps you take.” (7F)	But for a woman, even the pedometer's great if you're wearing trousers, but it's absolutely hopeless if you're wearing a dress or a skirt (4F)	It was encouraging really, because you think, well I'll try to do a little more, so I've done so ‘n’ so steps today, I'm going to see if I can do a few more tomorrow. (28F)	And then, towards the end, I was doing things over and over again and it all got a bit sort of the same…. (30 M)
Accelerometer	n = 10	n = 8	n = 11	n = 2
	Oh that was good, yes, yes, having that to sort of check up on the other one, yes, we thought they were good (13F).	It took a little while to get used to it actually. … I found umm it would slip down or ride up…. Because I’m quite curvy… I did. But I've now lost 22 lbs (14F)	…There was no problem there with the accelerometer….Well I rather used to forget that I had it on, so … (27 M)	but … a bit bewildered, you didn't know how many … what was the … what it was reading did I? (23F)
Handbook & diary	n = 14	n = 15	n = 8	n = 11
	Umm … yes, that was very helpful because I did fill it in and it made me think about it and, yes, what I wanted to achieve. (4F)	I just wanted to do the walking. The material, what was in there, I can't remember what was in there to be honest. (18 M)	That (diary) was good as well…….it focused me on positively going out and doing something… having a goal, having clear aims and objectives…I had to go out (22 M)	Oh yes, I … I really … but I'm afraid I didn't really take that much notice of it. (30 M)
Nurse consultation	n = 19	n = 7	n = 11	n = 7
	Yes. …. She was just very positive. If we'd had a bad week or ….it had gone down from the week before, she just said, ‘Well look how well you're doing’, you know, and that was really nice (8F)	Umm … no I don't think so. It was … I don't know, it was alright having her there, you know.(12F)	Yes, we covered everything thoroughly, yes, it was always … you know, she gives you lots of encouragement, yes… You could understand why you were doing this survey and that, yes. (26F)
Goal setting	n = 14	n = 1	n = 6	n = 6
	Well … the fact we had a goal, uhh, I had a goal, has been critical. (16 M)	No. ….… I didn't, I didn’t really set any goals and targets. It was … it wasn't easy to do. (21 M)	.Yes to do what I could and set my own targets (23F)	….it was something that we started on and very quickly fell by the wayside…⋯I'm of a certain disposition and I don't easily umm … work to targets……. (21 M)
Individual nature of consultation	n = 15	n = 2	n = 8	n = 3
	Yes, but I prefer one to one, and I walk on my own, (13F)	I think actually it might. (be better to be in a group) … Umm……it's the same as Weight Watchers, hearing other people’s success, can sometimes spur you on….(8F)	I wouldn’t have come (if it had been a group)(30F)	More group discussion, you know… I suppose it’s peer pressure to a certain extent…(22 M)
Walking is easy & age appropriate	n = 19	n = 0	n = 10	n = 0
	Umm … well I know walking is a good all-rounder…… I mean everybody can walk a few steps or … most people can. (13F)		Oh no, no, no, any other sort of exercise would leave me stone cold I can tell you…. Walking is absolutely fine. (21F)
Social support	n = 5	n = 1	n = 3	n = 5
	I think it was a very helpful thing that we were able to go together, and we were able to uhh talk about it together, and umm and also to be active together, because we are generally umm …….we are generally doing most things together….And therefore one would drag the other along, or not, as the case may be! (6 M)	I think it was just down to me. (21F)	(coming with husband) Yes, yes, most definitely. I think probably I might not have been so eager to take part…. I might have sort of said, oh no, you know … I think it helped motivate one another. (28F)	Well I don’t have any family. I don’t have a wife….the only family I’ve got is my daughter, who lives 250 miles away with her mother… so I’m really on my own…. I would like to have met other people that were doing it (21 M)
Walking constraints	n = 0	n = 10	n = 0	n = 10
		Well, no, just the weather and if I wasn't feeling too good, you know, apart from that, no, not really. (24F)		You know when the weather is bad I don’t go out…. You know especially when it's icy and snow. (7F)
Strategies for the future	n = 19	n = 0	n = 7	n = 0
	If you carry on doing it, it becomes part of your life then….And then, you know, then you're alright….… yes, it becomes more of your daily routine basically…. (14F)		… just motivation that’s. I still walk a bit (30 M)