Interventions to Promote Physical Activity Among African American Women

Abstract

The lack of routine physical activity among African American women places them at risk for negative health outcomes associated with inactivity. The number of studies focused on African American women has increased dramatically in the past decade. This review examined the intervention research literature testing strategies to increase activity among African American women. Eighteen studies with 1,623 subjects were retrieved. Diverse interventions, settings, and measures were reported. Common methodologic weaknesses included lack of randomization of subjects, single-group design, instruments without documented validity and reliability, significant attrition, and questionable timing of outcome variable measurement. Strategies to design and deliver culturally appropriate interventions are reviewed. Suggestions for future research, such as examining intragroup differences and communal resources, are provided.

Meta-analysis of patient education interventions to increase physical activity among chronically ill adults

“…Most reviews, including meta-analyses, have focused on benefits of PA. The many narrative reviews focused on PA behavior outcomes have examined limited domains of this broad literature, such as computer-tailored interventions [1]; primary care-based interventions [2][3][4][5]; environmental interventions [6,7]; mass media-delivered interventions [8]; interventions designed to increase 'lifestyle' PA (versus episodic exercise) [9,10]; interventions targeting older adults [11,12]; studies addressing subpopulations such as AfricanAmericans [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]; and intervention studies based on particular theoretical models [20]. Narrative reviews discussing PA behavior outcomes often address very few of the available studies [21][22][23][24].…”

Are behavioral interventions for arthritis effective with minorities? Addressing racial and ethnic diversity in disability and rehabilitation

“…Traditional recruitment methods, including health fairs, media advertisement, and cold calling and mailing may not be sufficient for the recruitment of minorities (35) and nontraditional modes may be necessary. Community outreach efforts may involve establishing trust, a long-standing commitment to the community, and inviting community members to serve on an advisory board (36,37). Program-specific adaptations may include personalizing the invitation to participate (e.g., face-to-face recruitment), using culturally appropriate incentives, and inviting family members to participate (36,37).…”

“…Community outreach efforts may involve establishing trust, a long-standing commitment to the community, and inviting community members to serve on an advisory board (36,37). Program-specific adaptations may include personalizing the invitation to participate (e.g., face-to-face recruitment), using culturally appropriate incentives, and inviting family members to participate (36,37). Other suggestions include providing transportation and child care, providing the program in a safe, local, and familiar facility, incorporating the program with other scheduled activities (e.g., choir rehearsal), and offering a variety of classes at varying times (36,37).…”

“…Program-specific adaptations may include personalizing the invitation to participate (e.g., face-to-face recruitment), using culturally appropriate incentives, and inviting family members to participate (36,37). Other suggestions include providing transportation and child care, providing the program in a safe, local, and familiar facility, incorporating the program with other scheduled activities (e.g., choir rehearsal), and offering a variety of classes at varying times (36,37). For the investigator, this may involve engaging in actions that address the specific shared beliefs, values, and practices of the population (36,38), which may diminish the one size fits all approach to intervention.…”

“…Other suggestions include providing transportation and child care, providing the program in a safe, local, and familiar facility, incorporating the program with other scheduled activities (e.g., choir rehearsal), and offering a variety of classes at varying times (36,37). For the investigator, this may involve engaging in actions that address the specific shared beliefs, values, and practices of the population (36,38), which may diminish the one size fits all approach to intervention. For example, implementing an aquatics program among blacks may not be as feasible as with majority populations, because many blacks never learned to swim and fear drowning (37) and black women report hair maintenance as a barrier to swimming (39).…”