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Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Obesity is prevalent in all populations, however it disproportionately affects African American women. This prevalence of obesity increases African American women's chances of developing chronic metabolic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. The purpose of this study is to explore/recognize the unique barriers and facilitators to physical activity/exercise in African American women. Methods: A mixed methods cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the barriers and facilitators to exercise in African American women. Eight qualitative interviews and 48 quantitative surveys were conducted to gather information about exercise habits and barriers/facilitators to exercise. Participants were 18 years or older and self-identified as an African American woman. Results: The mean age of participants was 40 years. In qualitative interviews, participants identified two main barriers to physical activity including fear of injury and motivation. Facilitators included wearing natural hair and more time at home due to COVID-19. In the quantitative surveys, 71.8% of participants reported avoiding exercise due to their hair and 62.5% reported facing hair discrimination. Conclusion: Our study findings have important implications for health professionals and health programs that attempt to promote active lifestyles in African American women. The results suggest that having approaches that increase exercise knowledge levels and provide positive experiences will be essential for improving physical activity among African American 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.
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.
Middle-aged and older African American women report the lowest rates of physical activity compared to men, younger women, and similarly aged White women, as well as higher death rates from conditions associated with physical inactivity. Though inactivity among African American women has received increased attention since the early 1990s, research regarding how older African American women successfully increase and maintain their physical activity levels is lacking. The current study aimed to identify factors associated with successful adoption and maintenance of physical activity among active midlife and older African American women. The study also assessed the applicability of the Physical Activity Evolution model as an explanatory framework for physical activity development among this population. Open-ended individual interviews were conducted with 15 African American women aged 45 years and older who reported engagement in physical activity at nationally recommended levels for 6 months or more. Data from the interviews were analyzed using deductive qualitative analysis methods. Results suggest that using scheduling strategies, receiving support from others, and experiencing noticeable benefits of physical activity are key factors in older African American women's progression toward a physically active lifestyle. These findings were consistent with the Physical Activity Evolution model.
In the Second Edition of her award-winning, chronologically organized text, Lifespan Development: Lives in Context, author and teacher Tara L. Kuther explores the dynamic interactions between individuals, our genetic makeup, and the diverse contexts that shape our growth and development at every stage of life. With a clear and approachable writing style, Kuther integrates current research findings with foundational, classic theory and research to present a comprehensive yet concise introduction to the field. The book is organized around part-level overviews brought to life in Dr. Kuther’s Chalk Talks, brief animations narrated by the author. Within each chapter, Lives in Context Video Cases spotlight real individuals’ contexts and experiences to bring key concepts home. Lively feature boxes and critical thinking questions encourage students to compare concepts, apply theoretical perspectives, and consider applications of research findings in their own lives and future careers.
The older African American women living Texas fall into one of the most inactive population segments. Recently, the importance of socio-ecological models on human health behavior and more complex associations between variables have been discussed. Therefore, this cross-sectional study focuses on investigating the trends in physical activity among older African American women, exploring the effects of actual environmental variables that might encourage or discourage their physical activity, and discovering any plausible mediating effects between environmental factors and older African American women's physical activity. The study sample is composed of African American women aged 55 to 84 who reside in independent housing in Bryan, Texas. A total of 282 older African American women's addresses were systematically selected and a self-administrated survey questionnaire documenting the level of physical activity, psychological well-being, sense of community, perception of safety, physical health status, and background information was collected for each of the women. The environmental influences of natural and built environments were defined using two boundaries: 1) nearby home level (0.5 mile street distance), and 2) neighborhood level (1 mile street distance) from the participant's house. The natural and built environments were measured using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and aerial photographs. Results showed that a) walking was the most prevalent type of physical activity and streets were the most popular places for older African American women; b) at the nearby home level, greenery and land use mixture were positively associated with older African American women's physical activity while street pattern and access to commercial areas influenced their physical activity at the neighborhood level; and c) perceptions of crime-related neighborhood problems had significant mediating effects decreasing older African American women's physical activity. The findings revealed that the environmental variables had a distance effects on older women's physical activity. In addition, on a policy level, neighborhood problems should be dealt with using careful insight in order to encourage physical activity.