scholarly journals Employing a Participatory Research Approach to Explore Physical Activity among Older African American Women

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emerson Sebastião ◽  
Kelechi Ibe-Lamberts ◽  
Julie Bobitt ◽  
Andiara Schwingel ◽  
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Unhealthy Lifestyle ◽  
American Women ◽  
Older African American Women ◽  
Participatory Research Approach

Introduction. Older African American women are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as physical inactivity and the resultant chronic diseases and conditions. This study explored older African American women’s perception of physical activity as well as facilitators of and barriers to being physically active in their local environment.Methods. Using a participatory research approach, a total of 7 women aged 65 years and over had their PA level assessed objectively through accelerometry. In addition, physical activity was discussed through the photo-elicitation procedure, which was supplemented by semistructured interviews. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and themes emerging from participants’ interview.Results. Participants exhibited low levels of physical activity and viewed “physical activity” to be a broadly defined, nonspecific construct. Interviews revealed that many participants lack important knowledge about physical activity. A variety of personal, social, and environmental facilitators and barriers were reported by the participants.Conclusion. Efforts should be made towards clarifying information on physical activity in this population in order to help them incorporate physical activity into their routines, overcome barriers, and make use of opportunities to be active.

scholarly journals Community Engagement in the Development of an mHealth-Enabled Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Intervention (Step It Up): Pilot Focus Group Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joniqua Nashae Ceasar ◽  
Sophie Elizabeth Claudel ◽  
Marcus R Andrews ◽  
Kosuke Tamura ◽  
Valerie Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
American Women

BACKGROUND Community-based participatory research is an effective tool for improving health outcomes in minority communities. Few community-based participatory research studies have evaluated methods of optimizing smartphone apps for health technology-enabled interventions in African Americans. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to utilize focus groups (FGs) for gathering qualitative data to inform the development of an app that promotes physical activity (PA) among African American women in Washington, DC. METHODS We recruited a convenience sample of African American women (N=16, age range 51-74 years) from regions of Washington, DC metropolitan area with the highest burden of cardiovascular disease. Participants used an app created by the research team, which provided motivational messages through app push notifications and educational content to promote PA. Subsequently, participants engaged in semistructured FG interviews led by moderators who asked open-ended questions about participants’ experiences of using the app. FGs were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim, with subsequent behavioral theory-driven thematic analysis. Key themes based on the Health Belief Model and emerging themes were identified from the transcripts. Three independent reviewers iteratively coded the transcripts until consensus was reached. Then, the final codebook was approved by a qualitative research expert. RESULTS In this study, 10 main themes emerged. Participants emphasized the need to improve the app by optimizing automation, increasing relatability (eg, photos that reflect target demographic), increasing educational material (eg, health information), and connecting with community resources (eg, cooking classes and exercise groups). CONCLUSIONS Involving target users in the development of a culturally sensitive PA app is an essential step for creating an app that has a higher likelihood of acceptance and use in a technology-enabled intervention. This may decrease health disparities in cardiovascular diseases by more effectively increasing PA in a minority population.

Understanding Physical Activity Among Older African American Women

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Emerson Sebastiao ◽  
Kelechi Ibe-Lamberts ◽  
Andiara Schwingel ◽  
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
American Women ◽  
Older African American Women

scholarly journals The Long-Term Relationship Between High-Intensity Volunteering and Physical Activity in Older African American Women

2009 ◽  
Vol 64B (2) ◽  
pp. 304-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Tan ◽  
G. W. Rebok ◽  
Q. Yu ◽  
C. E. Frangakis ◽  
M. C. Carlson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
American Women ◽  
Older African American Women

A Snapshot on the Daily Sedentary Behavior of Community Dwelling Older African American Women

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-133
Author(s):  
Emerson Sebastião ◽  
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko ◽  
Andiara Schwingel
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
African American ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
American Women ◽  
Older African American Women ◽  
Sedentary Bouts

Long periods of sedentary behavior (SB) is detrimental for health. This study investigated SB in older African American women (OAAW) and further compared it between participants of different physical activity status. Twenty OAAW had their sedentary time measured by accelerometers for seven consecutive days. Actigraph 6 processed accelerometer data and SPSS was used for statistical analysis with significance set at p < .05. Our sample spent approximately 9 hours in SB with an average of 27 breaks of sedentary time per day. The inactive group had higher amounts of time ( p < .01) on the average length of sedentary bout and the average number of sedentary bouts longer than 30 minutes compared with the active group. OAAW spend large amounts of their awaking hours in sedentary activities. The findings suggest that the inactive women may be at increased health risk based on the low levels of physical activity and the prolonged sedentary bouts.

scholarly journals Community Engagement in the Development of an mHealth-Enabled Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Intervention (Step It Up): Pilot Focus Group Study

10.2196/10944 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e10944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joniqua Nashae Ceasar ◽  
Sophie Elizabeth Claudel ◽  
Marcus R Andrews ◽  
Kosuke Tamura ◽  
Valerie Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
American Women

Background Community-based participatory research is an effective tool for improving health outcomes in minority communities. Few community-based participatory research studies have evaluated methods of optimizing smartphone apps for health technology-enabled interventions in African Americans. Objective This study aimed to utilize focus groups (FGs) for gathering qualitative data to inform the development of an app that promotes physical activity (PA) among African American women in Washington, DC. Methods We recruited a convenience sample of African American women (N=16, age range 51-74 years) from regions of Washington, DC metropolitan area with the highest burden of cardiovascular disease. Participants used an app created by the research team, which provided motivational messages through app push notifications and educational content to promote PA. Subsequently, participants engaged in semistructured FG interviews led by moderators who asked open-ended questions about participants’ experiences of using the app. FGs were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim, with subsequent behavioral theory-driven thematic analysis. Key themes based on the Health Belief Model and emerging themes were identified from the transcripts. Three independent reviewers iteratively coded the transcripts until consensus was reached. Then, the final codebook was approved by a qualitative research expert. Results In this study, 10 main themes emerged. Participants emphasized the need to improve the app by optimizing automation, increasing relatability (eg, photos that reflect target demographic), increasing educational material (eg, health information), and connecting with community resources (eg, cooking classes and exercise groups). Conclusions Involving target users in the development of a culturally sensitive PA app is an essential step for creating an app that has a higher likelihood of acceptance and use in a technology-enabled intervention. This may decrease health disparities in cardiovascular diseases by more effectively increasing PA in a minority population.

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