Increasing Physical Activity Among African-American Women and Girls

WHITT-GLOVER, M. C., D. J. BRAND, M. E. TURNER, S. A. WARD, and E. M. JACKSON. Increasing physical activity among African-American women and girls. Curr. Sports Med. Rep., Vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 318-324, 2009. The benefits of physical activity on diseases and risk factors are well known. Despite the known benefits, many segments of the population, particularly African-American women and girls, do not obtain adequate levels of physical activity. Strategies are needed to identify successful and sustainable interventions to increase physical activity among this population. We reviewed literature published between 2007 and 2009 that focused on increasing physical activity or fitness among this population. We identified 37 studies, 11 of which focused on increasing physical activity. This article summarizes the findings from those 11 studies and provides recommendations for improving strategies to increase physical activity in African-American women and girls

Learning and Developing Individual Exercise Skills (L.A.D.I.E.S.) for a Better Life: A Church-Based Physical Activity Intervention - Baseline Participant Characteristics

Objective: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for health, yet most African American women do not achieve recommended levels. Successful, sustainable strategies could help to address disparities in health outcomes associated with low levels of PA. The Learning and Developing Individual Exercise Skills (L.A.D.I.E.S.) for a Better Life study compared a faith-based and a secular intervention for increasing PA with a selfguided control group. Design Setting Participants: This cluster randomized, controlled trial was conducted from 2010 – 2011 in African American churches (n=31) in suburban North Carolina. Participants were 469 self-identified low active African American women. Measures: Baseline data were collected on participant demographics, objective and self-reported PA, and constructs related to social ecological theory and social cognitive theory. Results: Complete baseline data were available for 417 participants who were aged 51.4 ± 12.9 years, with average BMI (kg/ m2) 35.8 ± 9.9; 73% of participants were obese (BMI &gt;30). Participants averaged 3,990 ± 1,828 pedometer-assessed daily steps and 23.9 ± 37.7 accelerometer-assessed minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous PA, and self-reported 25.4 ± 45.4 minutes of weekly walking and moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA. Baseline self-reported religiosity and social support were high. Conclusions: L.A.D.I.E.S. is one of the largest PA trials focused on individual behavior change in African American women. Baseline characteristics suggest participants are representative of the general population. Findings from the study will contribute toward understanding appropriate strategies for increasing PA in high-risk populations.Ethn Dis. 2017;27(3):257-264; doi:10.18865/ed.27.3.257 </p

Culturally-appropriate, family- and community-based physical activity and healthy eating Intervention for african-american middle school-aged girls: A feasibility pilot

This study tested the feasibility and acceptability of a physical activity, healthy eating, and social support intervention. Twelve African-American daughter-mother dyads (BMI percentile: daughters=92.6±12.79; BMI: mothers=38.8±5.81 kg/m2) met weekly during the 8-week Intensive Phase; throughout the 6-month Maintenance Phase, participants received monthly newsletters for 3 months and attended monthly face-to-face sessions for 3 months. Daughters and mothers reported positive feedback about intervention activities and educational curriculum. Post-intervention daughter survey results revealed positive trends towards increasing PA; increasing breakfast, water, and fruit/vegetable intake; and reducing sugar sweetened drink consumption. Mothers reported similar behavioral changes. This unique intervention was highly enjoyed by participants and utilized feasible, family-involved strategies to address obesity-related behaviors among African-American females

Weight Status: A Predictor of the Receipt of and Interest in Health Promotion Information among College Students

Background: Negative health behaviors such as consumption of excess calories, low intake of fruits and vegetables, sedentariness and weight gain are associated with entry into college. Purpose: To determine if weight status is associated with students’ receipt of health promotion (nutrition, physical activity and stress reduction) information, and students’ interest in receiving these types of information from their college or university. Methods: Data from the Spring 2011 ACHA-NCHA II dataset was used to complete secondary data analyses. Students (N=116,254) from 148 postsecondary institutions completed the Spring 2011 ACHA-NCHA II survey. Logistic regression was used to examine the effect of BMI category on receipt of, and interest in receiving, health promotion information. Results: Approximately 32% of respondents were overweight or obese. Students in the obese class III category were the least likely to receive health promotion information and least likely to be interested in receiving the information. Conclusion: Weight status based on BMI classification is a weak predictor of the dissemination of health promotion information. The largest gaps related to the dissemination appear to be among obese students. Future research is needed to determine factors contributing to the observed gaps and strategies should be developed to reach underserved groups

Learning and Developing Individual Exercise Skills (L.A.D.I.E.S.) for a Better Life: A physical activity intervention for black women

Physical activity (PA) is low among African American women despite awareness of its positive impact on health. Learning and Developing Individual Exercise Skills for a Better Life (L.A.D.I.E.S.) compares three strategies for increasing PA among African American women using a cluster randomized, controlled trial. Underactive adult women from 30 churches (n=15 participants/church) were recruited. Churches were randomized to a faith-based intervention, a non-faith based intervention, or an information only control group. Intervention groups will meet 25 times in group sessions with other women from their church over a 10-month period. Control group participants will receive standard educational material promoting PA. All participants will be followed for an additional 12 months to assess PA maintenance. Data will be collected at baseline, 10, and 22 months. The primary outcome is PA (steps/day, daily moderate-to-vigorous PA). We expect treatment effects indicating that assignment to either of the active interventions is associated with greater magnitude of change in PA compared to the control group. In exploratory analyses, we will test whether changes in the faith-based intervention group are greater than changes in the non-faith-based intervention group. L.A.D.I.E.S. focuses on a significant issue—increasing PA levels—in a segment of the population most in need of successful strategies for improving health. If successful, L.A.D.I.E.S. will advance the field by providing an approach that is successful for initiating and sustaining change in physical activity, which has been shown to be a primary risk factor for a variety of health outcomes, using churches as the point of delivery

Translating the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet for Use in Underresourced, Urban African American Communities, 2010

IntroductionRandomized trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) program for lowering blood pressure; however, program participation has been limited in some populations. The objective of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of using a culturally modified version of DASH among African Americans in an underresourced community.MethodsThis randomized controlled pilot study recruited African Americans in 2 North Carolina neighborhoods who had high blood pressure and used fewer than 3 antihypertension medications. We offered 2 individual and 9 group DASH sessions to intervention participants and 1 individual session and printed DASH educational materials to control participants. We collected data at baseline (March 2010) and 12 weeks (June 2010).ResultsOf 152 potential participants, 25 were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 14) or the control (n = 11) group; 22 were women, and 21 were educated beyond high school. At baseline, mean blood pressure was 130/78 mm Hg; 19 participants used antihypertension medications, and mean body mass index was 35.9 kg/m2. Intervention participants attended 7 of 9 group sessions on average. After 12 weeks, we observed significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption and increases in participants’ confidence in their ability to reduce salt and fat consumption and eat healthier snacks in intervention compared with control participants. We found no significant decreases in blood pressure.ConclusionImplementation of a culturally modified, community-based DASH intervention was feasible in our small sample of African Americans, which included people being treated for high blood pressure. Future studies should evaluate the long-term effect of this program in a larger sample

A biopsychosocial approach assessing pain indicators among Black men

Introduction The lack of empirical evidence documenting the pain experience of Black men may be the result of social messaging that men are to project strength and avoid any expression of emotion or vulnerability. This avoidant behavior however, often comes too late when illnesses/symptoms are more aggressive and/or diagnosed at a later stage. This highlights two key issues - the willingness to acknowledge pain and wanting to seek medical attention when experiencing pain. Methods To better understand the pain experience in diverse raced and gendered groups, this secondary data analysis aimed to determine the influence identified physical, psychosocial, and behavioral health indicators have in reporting pain among Black men. Data were taken from a baseline sample of 321 Black men, >40 years old, who participated in the randomized, controlled Active & Healthy Brotherhood (AHB) project. Statistical models were calculated to determine which indicators (somatization, depression, anxiety, demographics, medical illnesses) were associated with pain reports. Results Results showed that 22% of the men reported pain for more than 30 days, with more than half of the sample being married (54%), employed (53%), and earning an income above the federal poverty level (76%). Multivariate analyses showed that those reporting pain were more likely to be unemployed, earn less income, and reported more medical conditions and somatization tendencies (OR=3.28, 95% CI (1.33, 8.06) compared to those who did not report pain. Discussion Findings from this study indicate that efforts are needed to identify the unique pain experiences of Black men, while recognizing its impact on their identities as a man, a person of color, and someone living with pain. This allows for more comprehensive assessments, treatment plans, and prevention approaches that may have beneficial impacts throughout the life course