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Abstract: The sedentary lifestyle prevalent among many women has manifested itself as a serious public health problem. Inactive lifestyle has been linked to obesity and chronic disease, both serious health care issues for women today, and a disproportionate burden from these conditions is borne by African American women. Despite all that has been learned from the application of behavioral change theories to physical activity, long-term success of interventions to initiate and maintain a physically active lifestyle among African American women has not been realized. This study aimed to contribute to further theory development and to inform future investigations of the most effective ways to assist inactive African American women in maintaining an active lifestyle. Interviews were conducted with 15 African American women between the ages of 25-45 who were physically active at nationally recommended levels for one year or more. Interview questions were open-ended and designed to elicit lengthy accounts from the women using their own words to describe their experiences with physical activity. Focus groups were held at the conclusion of the interviews to gather feedback on the findings from the participants. Grounded theory was used to guide the data collection and analysis process. Data derived inductively from the interviews and focus groups guided the development of a process theory of physical activity evolution. The Physical Activity Evolution process theory identifies three key phases in the adoption and maintenance process: Initiation, Transition, and Integration. The dynamic nature of long-term physical activity participation is exemplified by modification and cessation loops. Important context and conditions within which this process takes place also emerged from the study including planning methods, social support, benefits, and the influence of African American race/culture. This study has made an important contribution to knowledge of the evolution of physical activity participation among African American women. The concept of investigating health behaviors in context and among people who have successfully incorporated those behaviors into their daily lives should be further utilized in research studies. By studying women who have successfully adopted a behavior, strategies to overcome known barriers can be elucidated and applied to intervention planning for other women.
Background - The health problems of overweight and obesity are growing concerns in the United States and in many parts of the world. At the time of this study, African American women had the highest mortality and obesity rates of any other racial/ethnic group in this country, and the highest level of physical inactivity (CDC, 2008; OMHRC, 2007). Research has suggested that despite African American women's awareness of the benefits of physical activity their rates of physical activity have remained low. A need existed to understand how physically active African American women, particularly those who resided in a rural area, perceived and experienced physical activity. Objective - The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the meaning and cultural context of physical activity among physically active, rural African American women, and to understand how they related physical activity and overweight to their health status. Methodology - To achieve this purpose, the researcher conducted 4 in-depth, open-ended focus group interviews in North Carolina. A qualitative methodology using a phenomenological approach enabled the researcher to better understand the meaning and sociocultural influences that the participants associated with physical activity participation. Analysis of verbatim transcriptions of the focus group interviews involved immersion, coding, categorizing, and identifying themes that emerged from the data. Results - Several primary themes emerged from the data from this study that revealed the participants experience of physical activity. These themes included perceptions of personal health, the evolution of physical activity, body image and overweight, social support, barriers, societal views of African American health status, and health related education. This chapter explored themes and various subthemes in order to get a more in-depth view of the participants' experience of physical activity, and definitions of physical activity and overweight as they relate to health in the minds of the participants. Conclusion - Health education programming aimed at this target population group must recognize several factors in order to provide culturally appropriate programs: the motivating factors of this population group; the association between size, overweight and health; their perception of what types of physical activities are appropriate; their support needs; the barriers that they face. In addition, it is important to provide education regarding their risks as well as information on how to get the information that they need to address these risks from their medical provider.
Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.
A variety of barriers to physical activity have been identified and these barriers take new forms in relation to African American women. This study examined how the intersectionality of race and gender play a pivotal role in African American women's physical activity. I sought to understand whether there were differences in barriers and strategies reported between physically active and inactive groups, whether the perception of barriers and barrier self-efficacy were predictors of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and what types of strategies African American women use to overcome barriers. African American women completed and online survey and a subset participated in semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that both physically active and inactive women within the sample faced similar barriers and utilized similar strategies, but the perceived effectiveness differed between the two groups. Both perception of barriers (p= .045) and barrier self-efficacy (p= .043) were significant predictors in a regression predicting MVPA. Analysis of semi-structured in depth interviews uncovered five major themes: Health Perceptions within the African American Community are an Obstacle to Healthy Behaviors; Gender Differences and Gendered Activity Expectations , Hair as a Constraint to Physical Activity for African American Women; The Role of Body Image as a Barrier and a Facilitator of physical activity, and The Role of a Physical Activity Environment in Negotiating Constraints.
Learn to tailor physical activity interventions to the women you work with! Ethnic minority and low-income women have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the highest rates of physical inactivity—an independent risk factor for CVD. This book discusses the environmental, policy, and cultural factors that affect the tendency of these women (ages 20–50) to undertake physical activities. This vital information is based on qualitative research conducted in various locations in the United States with African-American, American Indian, Latina, and white women living in both urban and rural environments. Along with individual chapters on separate groups of women, this book includes a thorough summary discussing the similarities and differences among the groups—and recommendations for future research. This book will increase your understanding of: the impact of environmental influences on women's patterns of physical activity the mission and methodology of the Women's Cardiovascular Health Network Project cultural, environmental, and policy determinants of physical activity based upon the responses of the focus groups involved in the study, which include a) low-income minority women b) well-educated urban African-American women c) African-American women in the southeastern United States d) rural African-American women e) rural white women who say they don't exercise regularly f) Latina immigrants g) Southwestern American Indian women
In the United States, minorities are less physically active and in turn at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The purpose of my study is to examine the factors that influence physical activity in neighborhood parks and to answer: What aspects of park design and programming discourage physical activity participation in African American women? My goal is to identify barriers to physical activity and make recommendations for improving design and programming of a neighborhood park. The results of my research are relevant to the planning profession because planners can use public policy to combat inequality in the built environment. Many studies have related recreation access to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, age, and gender. While African American women are not the only disadvantaged population when it comes to access to recreation, they do have a higher risk for obesity. In trying to answer why African American women have higher rates of obesity, some studies have found that while willingness to participate in physical activity does not differ in white and black women, duration of physical activity does. My research employs a mixed methods approach to understand the barriers to physical activity experienced by African American women, in context of a neighborhood park. This study uses a physical assessment of James Mulligan Park and the surrounding neighborhood within Alexandria, Virginia. Following the physical assessment I piloted a survey to gather information on the barriers to physical activity. The pilot guided a final survey of seventeen participating African American women in the neighborhood. I hypothesized that the perception of park safety will have an effect on the rate of physical activity in African American women. This hypothesis points to a general barrier for all women. Based on literature review, I also expected to find barriers unique to African American women. The study concluded that African American women in this neighborhood share some barriers with all women and they also expressed some barriers unique to African American women. I found that personal barriers like "exercise tires me" was the most common, rather than perceptions of safety. In addition, I found culturally specific barriers, such as "exercising is not my cultural activity" and "I avoid exercise to protect my hairstyle." Based on my analysis of the setting and surveys I make several recommendations for the park and neighborhood.
The aim of this book is to inform clinicians of recent advances in obesity research and provide a review of current treatment issues and strategies. Part 1 covers new discoveries in the physiological control of body weight, as well as the pathophysiology of obesity. Part 2 covers a range of issues that are central to the clinical management of obese patients. This illustrated volume will stimulate and engage clinicians.
TRB Special Report 282: Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence reviews the broad trends affecting the relationships among physical activity, health, transportation, and land use; summarizes what is known about these relationships, including the strength and magnitude of any causal connections; examines implications for policy; and recommends priorities for future research.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an intervention utilizing individual buddy support to increase physical activity in African American women. The current study was a 10-week, pretest/post-test, quasi-experimental design that was conducted at two churches in Toledo, Ohio. Members of one church served as the intervention group and members of the second church served as the comparison group. The participants were African American women (25 in the comparison group and 28 in the intervention group). Women in the intervention group were required to recruit and enlist the help of a "buddy" that was to provide social support for physical activity. Both groups completed the following data collection measures at pretest and post-test: 1) social support for exercise survey (SSES), 2) rapid assessment of physical activity survey (RAPA), 3) body weight and height, 4) diastolic and systolic blood pressure and, 5) a six-minute walk test. Participants in both groups also received educational information on healthy living, a pedometer to serve as a cue to action for walking, and instructions to record daily pedometer steps and physical activity minutes. The intervention group alone was required to identify a buddy, record the number of minutes per day spent interacting with the buddy, and the type of interaction with the buddy. Seven women dropped out of the comparison group leaving a total of 18 women that completed the study. One participant in the intervention group did not submit physical activity minutes but was included in the analyses for all other measures. The average age of women in the study was 46 years of age (SD = 10). The vast majority of participants (82%) had at least some college education and 76% had households comprised of 2 to 4 persons. About two thirds of participants worked fulltime outside the home. A majority (43%) of participants was married and 38% had gross household incomes greater than $75,000. No statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics were detected between the intervention and comparison groups. According to participants' daily logs at week one and at week ten of the study, physical activity minutes decreased during the study for both groups ( - 49 minutes intervention/-1 minute comparison group). For the intervention group only, the RAPA I score increased in a statistically significant way. By the end of the study, 61% of the intervention group and 44% of the comparison group was in the "active" range on their RAPA I scores. For both groups, there were no statistically significant differences over time in mean social support scores for friend social support. However, in the intervention group, family social support scores increased in a statistically significant way. There was no statistically significant correlation between social support, RAPA I scores, and physical activity minutes. Analysis of the physiologic measures revealed that body mass index statistically significantly decreased over the course of the study for the comparison group only. In contrast, only the intervention group experienced a statistically significantly increase in endurance as measured by the six-minute walk test. There were no statistically significant changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressures for either group. The findings from the current study do not support the effectiveness of the buddy support intervention in increasing self-reported physical activity minutes. However, RAPA I scores, six-minute walk test distance, and family social support scores did improve over time for the intervention group. The lack of statistical power in the current study and the many limitations make it difficult to state any conclusions with confidence.