Men on the Move

Abstract

Despite the important contribution increasing physical activity levels may play in reducing chronic disease morbidity and mortality, there is a paucity of interventions and research indicating how to improve physical activity levels in African American men. Men on the Move was a pilot study to increase African American men’s levels of physical activity by improving access to age and ability-appropriate, male-focused physical activity opportunities and facilitating access to social support from male peers. Forty-one African American men ages 35 to 70 enrolled (mean age = 53.8). Groups of 5 to 10 men met once a week with a certified personal trainer for 10 weeks. Each meeting addressed barriers to physical activity, provided men with community resources, and incorporated activities that promoted flexibility, strength, balance, and conditioning. Improvements (p < .05) were detected for the following outcome measures: perceived self-efficacy to sustain physical activity, endurance, overall health status, and stress level. Physiological and fitness outcome measures improved, although not to significant levels. Whereas 40% of the men met the recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity weekly at baseline, 68% of the men met this recommendation by the end of the project. These positive results attest to the feasibility of successfully engaging middle-aged and older African American men in a physical activity intervention, and our findings demonstrate the initial efficacy of this intervention approach. More research is needed that includes a more intensive intervention and one that helps motivate men to be physically active outside of the structured, small-group sessions.

Lessons Learned About Motivation From a Pilot Physical Activity Intervention for African American Men

“…Health and physical activity often matter to African American men because it provides them the energy and opportunity to fulfill important family and community roles. (Allen et al, 2012; Evans, Frank, Oliffe, & Gregory, 2011; Griffith, Ellis, et al, 2013; Griffith et al, 2011). However, motivation to engage in physical activity is often decreased due to the difficulty and stress that African American men face in their efforts to fulfill key gendered social roles such as: worker, provider, father and spouse/partner (Griffith, Ellis, et al, 2013; Griffith et al, 2011).…”

“…Furthermore, age and gendered notions have been found to compete with men's efforts to engage in healthy behavior, particularly physical activity (Griffith, Ellis, et al, 2013; Griffith et al, 2012). Men in this study discussed barriers and ways to overcome them, such as finding structured opportunities to engage in physical activities that they enjoyed.…”

“…Despite these improvements, participants had difficulty finding the motivation to engage in physical activity outside of their small group sessions with the personal trainer (Griffith, Allen et al, 2013). Consequently, in addition to including Fitbit and SMS text messaging, this version of Men on the Move added worksheets to help men identify sources of motivation to be healthier and more physically active outside of the weekly sessions with a trainer.…”

Men on the Move–Nashville: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Technology-Enhanced Physical Activity Pilot Intervention for Overweight and Obese Middle and Older Age African American Men

“…These intervention components were selected based on qualitative and other pilot research designed by and with African American men (Griffith et al, 2011;Griffith et al, 2013;Griffith et al, 2014;Griffith, Gunter, & Allen, 2012). While these components are perhaps common to interventions with other men, this intervention is culturally sensitive in that it incorporates attention to deep, culturally relevant sources of social support and motivation discussed in the small group sessions (Resnicow, Baranowski, Ahluwalia, & Braithwaite, 1999).…”

Racial Disparities in Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Change Efficacy Among Male First-Year College Students

“…Behavior change interventions can be important for reducing risks for high blood pressure, weight gain, and related conditions; however, only a few studies have examined their effectiveness among African American men (Griffith, Allen, Johnson-Lawrence, & Langford, 2014; Newton, Griffith, Kearney, & Bennett, 2014). The results from these studies are promising; however, the participants for these studies were middle-aged and older African American males.…”