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Background: Decades of research indicate that physical activity is an important behavior for health promotion and disease prevention. Despite dissemination of these research findings, many American adults are sedentary. The rates for sedentary behavior vary by race/ethnicity and gender. Women and adults from minority groups are most likely to be sedentary. Research on adults who are physically active has identified several factors that predispose, enable, and reinforce this behavior. The presence of social support is one such factor. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the nature and extent of social influence on physical activity in a nationally-representative sample of minority women. Methods: A telephone survey of 2912 women ages 40 and older from various racial/ethnic groups was conducted from July 1996 to June 1997. Information on physical activity as well as other preventive health behaviors was collected. Analysis: Descriptive analyses were done on physical activity levels (including an accumulation of household and occupational physical activity), physical activity-related social support (PASS), support network, and measures of social contact. Logistic regression was used to determine differences in PASS levels and physical activity. Linear Regression was used to determine the relationship between social influence and physical activity level. Results: Women with high levels of physical activity- related social support were more likely to meet recommended levels of physical activity. There was no difference by racial/ethnic group. An index of social influence was not a significant predictor or physical activity level among all women in the sample. Conclusion: While women with higher levels of specific support for physical activity were more likely to be physically active, a more general measure of social support did not predict level of physical activity. More research is needed in assessment of both physical activity and social support in this population.
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
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.
The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.
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.
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.
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.