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Physical inactivity is a major health risk factor in the United States (US) and African American women are the least active segment of the US society. African American women's choices to be active or inactive can be well understood by carefully examining the meaning they ascribe to physical activity and health. The primary purpose of the proposed study was to describe and explain environmental, relational, and social factors that influence the health and physical activity participation of Christian African American mother-daughter dyads. The secondary purpose of this study was to use constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory to explain the personal, social and environmental determinants of physical activity among Christian African American mother-daughter dyads and to investigate how networking within the church can provide a venue for African American mother-daughter dyads to experience physical activity. The research paradigm was qualitative situated in Social Cognitive Theory. The purposefully sampled participants were Christian African American mother-daughter dyads. This population was chosen because a large segment of African American women attend churches in southern Illinois and the church is a cornerstone institution to convey information for African American women. The study was comprised of 35 participants who ranged in ages from 15 to 68 years-old. These participants represented a combination of African American mother-daughter dyads. The mean age of the mothers was 49.7 and their age range was 32-68, SD = 11.2. The mean age of the daughters was 23.5 and their age range was 15-34, SD =6.37. Data resources included focus group discussions and interviews guided by Social Cognitive Theory. Several themes emerged from the data associated with the participants' health and physical activity experiences. These themes included health as a motivator to participate in physical activity, body image, social support, and barriers influencing participation in physical activity. Outcomes from the study were examines to assist in planning physical activity programs. These physical activity programs were designed to promote health education, increase the quality and years of life, and address health disparities.
Relationships and the pattern of relationships have a large and varied influence on both individual and group action. The fundamental distinction of social network analysis research is that relationships are of paramount importance in explaining behavior. Because of this, social network analysis offers many exciting tools and techniques for research and practice in a wide variety of medical and public health situations including organizational improvements, understanding risk behaviors, coordinating coalitions, and the delivery of health care services. This book provides an introduction to the major theories, methods, models, and findings of social network analysis research and application. In three sections, it presents a comprehensive overview of the topic; first in a survey of its historical and theoretical foundations, then in practical descriptions of the variety of methods currently in use, and finally in a discussion of its specific applications for behavior change in a public health context. Throughout, the text has been kept clear, concise, and comprehensible, with short mathematical formulas for some key indicators or concepts. Researchers and students alike will find it an invaluable resource for understanding and implementing social network analysis in their own practice.
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.
The health benefits associated with regular physical activity are now widely recognized. This book examines how social determinants such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and disability can impact on physical activity and its associated health outcomes. It explores the social, cultural, political and environmental factors that influence engagement in physical activity in a range of diverse populations and presents evidence-based, culturally appropriate strategies for targeting and promoting physical activity participation. Each chapter considers how the social determinants that impact on health are formed by the environments in which people live, work, learn and play. Incorporating a series of original case studies, this book analyzes physical activity behaviors in groups such as: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans military veterans and physically disabled populations low-income populations rural populations LGBT populations. It also includes a variety of useful features such as key terms, summary points and critical thinking questions, as well as a chapter on international perspectives. Physical Activity in Diverse Populations: Evidence and Practice is vital reading for any course touching on social factors in physical activity behavior.
"The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the physical activity behavior of Black female adolescents age 14-18 in the Charlotte, NC public school community by examining the relationship between physical activity and self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, and physical environment. The study sample consisted of 96 girls ages 14-19 from a public high school in Charlotte, North Carolina. Participants volunteered to complete a survey with demographic, physical activity (PA), and psychosocial questions. The predictor variables were self-efficacy and physical activity self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, and physical environment. The dependent variable was physical activity participation. Correlational analysis was employed to examine the relationship of the four predictor variables to physical activity. Self-efficacy was shown to be correlated with PA. The strongest correlation was between physical activity self-efficacy and PA. Correlations between outcome expectations and PA for the total sample were low and not significant. Total social support, family and friend social support were correlated with PA as well. Physical environment was not significantly related with PA for the Black adolescents in this study. Multiple regression was used to determine the relative strength of the four main predictor variables on the dependent variable of physical activity level. For the total sample, the four predictor variables explained 24% of the variance in physical activity participation. Of these variables, physical activity self-efficacy makes the largest unique contribution (beta=.36) with a significance level of .002. In order to understand PA habits and perceptions among Black adolescent females, the last section of the survey included 14 open-ended questions. Most Black participants understand the health benefits of physical activity, but cited tiring and sweating factors as reasons why they do not participate in physical activity. Findings suggest increasing physical activity self-efficacy and providing social support, as well as allowing girls to have a choice in their physical activity and offering activities they consider fun, may lead to increased physical activity among Black adolescent girls."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.
This book will change the way we understand the future of our planet. It is both alarming and hopeful. James Gustave Speth, renowned as a visionary environmentalist leader, warns that in spite of all the international negotiations and agreements of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earth's environment are not succeeding. Still, he says, the challenges are not insurmountable. He offers comprehensive, viable new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world. The author explains why current approaches to critical global environmental problems - climate change, biodiversity loss, deterioration of marine environments, deforestation, water shortages, and others - don't work. He offers intriguing insights into why we have been able to address domestic environmental threats with some success while largely failing at the international level. Setting forth eight specific steps to a sustainable future, Speth convincingly argues that dramatically different government and citizen action are now urgent. If ever a book could be described as essential, this is it.
As interest in the public health challenge of youth inactivity increases, the ambitious Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior sets a standard for addressing a problem with worldwide implications. Drawing on the contributions of a diverse group of international experts, this reference challenges professionals, researchers, and students to implement new solutions and further their research and work. No other text addresses the causes, contributing factors, and fundamental issues in dealing with youth physical activity with such depth or comprehensive coverage. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior breaks away from traditional thinking that places activity and sedentary behavior on a single continuum, which may limit progress in addressing youth inactivity. Instead, the authors encourage readers to focus on how sedentary and physically active behaviors coexist and consider how the two behaviors may have different determinants. In doing so, the text also considers developmental features such as maturation, ethnicity, environment, and genetics across both childhood (through age 12) and adolescence (the teen years). By looking at a variety of psychosocial and epidemiological factors, the authors set the stage for a critical analysis of beliefs and views at a time when many assumptions are taken for granted. This book is organized in three parts that build on one another to deepen readers’ understanding of this complex problem. This text begins by addressing the fundamental issues and assumptions pertaining to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior, covering such topics as measurement of the behavior in question, health outcomes, concepts, and trends in a public health context. Once readers have grasped this foundational knowledge, they advance to part II for a comprehensive account of personal factors likely to be associated with the problem. Part III moves beyond the individual into the wider social and contextual aspects of physically active and sedentary living in young people. Through this concluding part, readers gain the latest thinking on how parents, peers, schools, organized sport, and related factors link to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior. Each chapter presents the latest theory and research, real-world approaches to implementation, and background information to encourage discussion and future directions in national policy making. Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior also contains the following features that add to an unprecedented learning experience: •An at-a-glance look at why and how research can be used in the real world helps researchers relate their work to overall solutions. •Coverage of more issues related to this subject than are available in any other reference makes this a one-stop resource. •Internationally respected foreword writer, editors, and contributors provide a cross-disciplinary perspective valuable for putting solutions into a wider context. •Applications for Professionals boxes and Applications for Researchers boxes at the end of each chapter provide practical suggestions for implementing solutions. Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Challenges and Solutions considers current research about youth physical activity and sedentary behavior across a range of personal factors as well as cultural and social influences. The text communicates the knowledge base on developmental, economic, psychological, and social factors related to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior and provides an overview of youth-specific approaches to addressing the problem of inactivity among youth.
The Routledge Handbook of Youth Sport is a comprehensive survey of the latest research into young people’s involvement in sport. Drawing on a wide diversity of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, policy studies, coaching, physical education and physiology, the book examines the importance of sport during a key transitional period of our lives, from the later teenage years into the early twenties, and therefore helps us develop a better understanding of the social construction of young people’s lives. The book covers youth sport in all its forms, from competitive game-contests and conventional sport to recreational activities, exercise and lifestyle sport, and at all levels, from elite competition to leisure time activities and school physical education. It explores youth sport across the world, in developing and developed countries, and touches on some of the most significant themes and issues in contemporary sport studies, including physical activity and health, lifelong participation, talent identification and development, and safeguarding and abuse. No other book brings together in one place such a breadth and depth of material on youth sport or the engagement of young people in physical activity. The Routledge Handbook of Youth Sport is therefore important reading for all advanced students, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in youth sport, youth culture, sport studies or physical education.