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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.
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.
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.
This book provides nurses, clinicians, practitioners, educators and students working with vulnerable and underserved populations with essential information on effective wellness strategies to address inadequate nutrition, promote physical activity, and reduce perceived stress through an integrative health nursing framework. It begins with an overview of cultural humility, health inequities, and social justice, establishing the need for an integrative health nursing framework. In turn, the book addresses a broad range of interventions; particular attention is given to wellness strategies designed to prevent the adverse effects of poor nutrition, perceived stress, and lack of physical activity. Written by respected experts in the field, the book offers readers valuable insights into strategies for working with vulnerable populations. Accordingly, it will appeal to researchers working to diminish health inequities among vulnerable populations, and will be of particular interest to nursing educators, practitioners, and students.
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.
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.
Promotes value of lifelong moderate exercise.
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.
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.