A Church‐based Physical Activity Intervention for African American Women

This trial evaluated a 6-month, church-based aerobic exercise intervention to increase physical activity among African American women relative to a health lecture and stretching condition. Participants were 196 women from 11 churches. Churches were randomized to an Aerobic Exercise or Health N Stretch intervention. Results indicated that physical activity was not different in Aerobic Exercise and Stretch N Health, although attendance in both interventions was low. Both groups reduced physical inactivity prevalence from baseline (26% and 18% decline, respectively). Higher baseline social support predicted change in physical activity, regardless of treatment assignment. Researchers must continue to work to identify successful intervention strategies to increase physical activity in African American women who are at disproportionate risk of chronic diseases associated with physical inactivity.

[1]  M. Campbell,et al.  Behavior-Specific Social Support for Healthy Behaviors Among African American Church Members: Applying Optimal Matching Theory , 2004, Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education.

[2]  B. Ainsworth,et al.  Correlates of physical activity among U.S. Young adults, 18 to 30 years of age, from NHANES III , 2003, Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

[3]  J. Sallis,et al.  Validation of the telephone and in-person interview versions of the 7-day PAR. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[4]  Walter C Willett,et al.  Television watching and other sedentary behaviors in relation to risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. , 2003, JAMA.

[5]  Jennifer F. Reiner,et al.  Correlates of exercise adherence in an African American church community. , 2002, Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology.

[6]  B. Yates,et al.  Key elements for church-based health promotion programs: outcome-based literature review. , 2002, Public health nursing.

[7]  D. Young,et al.  Environmental, Policy, and Cultural Factors Related to Physical Activity in Well-Educated Urban African American Women , 2002, Women & health.

[8]  J. Wilbur,et al.  Environmental, Policy, and Cultural Factors Related to Physical Activity in Urban, African American Women , 2002, Women & health.

[9]  K. Resnicow,et al.  Healthy Body/Healthy Spirit: a church-based nutrition and physical activity intervention. , 2002, Health education research.

[10]  K. Evenson,et al.  Correlates of physical activity among women from diverse racial/ethnic groups. , 2002, Journal of women's health & gender-based medicine.

[11]  J Gittelsohn,et al.  Motivations for Exercise and Weight Loss Among African-American Women: Focus group results and their contribution towards program development , 2001, Ethnicity & health.

[12]  Timothy M. Morgan,et al.  Effects of physical activity counseling in primary care: the Activity Counseling Trial: a randomized controlled trial. , 2001, JAMA.

[13]  W. Kohrt,et al.  Modest lifestyle intervention and glucose tolerance in obese African Americans. , 2001, Obesity research.

[14]  L. Appel,et al.  A comparison of the Yale Physical Activity Survey with other physical activity measures. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[15]  D. Becker,et al.  Project Joy: Faith Based Cardiovascular Health Promotion for African American Women , 2001, Public health reports.

[16]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. , 2000, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[17]  T. Baranowski,et al.  Cultural sensitivity in public health: defined and demystified. , 1999, Ethnicity & disease.

[18]  T N Robinson,et al.  Reducing children's television viewing to prevent obesity: a randomized controlled trial. , 1999, JAMA.

[19]  M. Symons,et al.  Fruit and vegetable consumption and prevention of cancer: the Black Churches United for Better Health project. , 1999, American journal of public health.

[20]  S. Gortmaker,et al.  Reducing obesity via a school-based interdisciplinary intervention among youth: Planet Health. , 1999, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[21]  W C Taylor,et al.  Physical activity interventions in low-income, ethnic minority, and populations with disability. , 1998, American journal of preventive medicine.

[22]  Amy A. Eyler,et al.  Physical Activity and Minority Women: A Qualitative Study , 1998, Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education.

[23]  K. W. Miller,et al.  Physical Activity Patterns of Urban African Americans , 1998, Journal of Community Health.

[24]  R. Wing,et al.  The Effect of Short Periods of Caloric Restriction on Weight Loss and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes , 1998, Diabetes Care.

[25]  D. Becker,et al.  Synthesis of Findings and Issues from Religious ..Based Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Trials , 1997 .

[26]  S. Kumanyika,et al.  A Randomized Controlled Trial of Weight Reduction and Exercise for Diabetes Management in Older African-American Subjects , 1997, Diabetes Care.

[27]  G W Heath,et al.  Leisure-time physical activity among US adults. Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. , 1996, Archives of internal medicine.

[28]  R. Elashoff,et al.  The black American lifestyle intervention (BALI): the design of a weight loss program for working-class African-American women. , 1994, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[29]  C. Sherbourne,et al.  The MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): III. Tests of data quality, scaling assumptions, and reliability across diverse patient groups. , 1994 .

[30]  C. Caspersen,et al.  A survey for assessing physical activity among older adults. , 1993, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[31]  J. Charleston,et al.  Lose weight and win: a church-based weight loss program for blood pressure control among black women. , 1992, Patient education and counseling.

[32]  Ge Tancred,et al.  Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription , 1991 .

[33]  T. Baranowski,et al.  A Center-Based Program for Exercise Change among Black-American Families , 1990, Health education quarterly.

[34]  R. Merritt,et al.  Participation rates, weight loss, and blood pressure changes among obese women in a nutrition-exercise program. , 1989, Public health reports.

[35]  T. Patterson,et al.  The development of self-efficacy scales for healthrelated diet and exercise behaviors , 1988 .

[36]  T. Patterson,et al.  The development of scales to measure social support for diet and exercise behaviors. , 1987, Preventive medicine.

[37]  Gustafson Mb.  Visual communication with Haitian women: a look at pictorial literacy. , 1986 .

[38]  K. Vranizan,et al.  Assessment of habitual physical activity by a seven-day recall in a community survey and controlled experiments. , 1985, American journal of epidemiology.

[39]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory , 1985 .

[40]  E. Eng,et al.  Institutionalizing Social Support Through the Church and into the Community , 1985, Health education quarterly.

[41]  Jeffrey S. Levin.  The role of the black church in community medicine. , 1984, Journal of the National Medical Association.

[42]  Margo J. Anderson,et al.  The Census , 1921, The Hospital.

[43]  J. Ware.  SF-36 health survey: Manual and interpretation guide , 2003 .

[44]  B. Ainsworth,et al.  Perceptions of physical activity and personal barriers and enablers in African-American women. , 2002, Ethnicity & disease.

[45]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Race/ethnicity, social class and their relation to physical inactivity during leisure time: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. , 2000, American journal of preventive medicine.

[46]  G. Cutter,et al.  Promoting physical activity in low-income African-American communities: the PARR project. , 1993, Ethnicity & disease.

[47]  A. King.  Community intervention for promotion of physical activity and fitness. , 1991, Exercise and sport sciences reviews.

[48]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action , 1986 .

[49]  J. Hatch,et al.  The Fitness Through Churches project: description of a community-based cardiovascular health promotion intervention. , 1986, Hygie.

[50]  J. Sallis,et al.  Physical activity assessment methodology in the Five-City Project. , 1985, American journal of epidemiology.