scholarly journals Physical Performance Is Associated with Executive Functioning in Older African American Women

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke C. Schneider ◽  
Peter A. Lichtenberg
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
American Women ◽  
Older African American Women ◽  
Trail Making

An older adult's ability to perform physical tasks is predictive of disability onset and is associated with declines in cognition. Risk factors for physical performance declines among African Americans, a group with the highest rates of disability, remain understudied. This study sought to identify demographic, health, and cognitive factors associated with lower-extremity physical performance in a sample of 106 African American women ages 56 to 91. After controlling for global cognitive functioning (Mini Mental State Exam), physical performance was associated with executive functioning (Stroop Color/Word), but not visuospatial construction (WASI Block Design) or processing speed (Trail Making Test, Part A). Executive functioning remained associated with physical performance after entry of demographic variables, exercise, depression, disease burden, and body mass index (BMI). Age, and BMI were also significant in this model. Executive functioning, age and BMI are associated with lower-extremity physical performance among older African American women.

scholarly journals Vitamin D and Acute Respiratory Infections—The PODA Trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
John F Aloia ◽  
Shahidul Islam ◽  
Mageda Mikhail
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
African American ◽  
Placebo Group ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Acute Respiratory Infections ◽  
American Women ◽  
Older African American Women

Abstract Background There is considerable heterogeneity in clinical trials examining the role of vitamin D in the prevention of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). Methods The primary aim of the Physical Performance, Osteoporosis, and Vitamin D in Older African-American Women (PODA) trial was the prevention of bone loss and decline in physical performance. A questionnaire about ARIs was administered every 3 months for 3 years to 260 black American women in a double-blind randomized clinical trial that had a placebo group and a vitamin D supplementation group. The serum 25(OH)D level was maintained >30 ng/mL in the vitamin D group. Results Serum 25(OH)D was maintained >30 ng/mL in 90% of the active group, whereas levels approximated those associated with the recommended dietary allowance (20 ng/mL) in the placebo group. There was no difference in occurrence of ARIs in the treatment group vs the placebo group. ARIs were not related to total or free 25(OH)D, which were measured at baseline and annually for 36 months. Conclusions Vitamin D supplementation sufficient to maintain serum 25(OH)D >30 ng/mL does not prevent ARIs in older African American women. ClinicalTrials.gov Registration Number NCT01153568.

“I Don’t Know and I Don’t Want to Know”: A Qualitative Examination of Older African American Women’s Knowledge and Experiences With HIV

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 644-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faye Z. Belgrave ◽  
Sarah J. Javier ◽  
Deborah Butler ◽  
Chelsie Dunn ◽  
Joann Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Black Church ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Hiv Knowledge ◽  
Female Population ◽  
American Women ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Older African American Women

While older African American women (e.g., aged 50 years and older) comprise only 11% of the female population in the United States, they account for 50% of HIV diagnoses among women in this age group. Unique sociocultural factors, including a lack of HIV knowledge and stigma, contribute to HIV risk among older African American women. The goal of this qualitative study was to obtain a nuanced perspective from older African American women about HIV knowledge and experiences with HIV using the framework of intersectionality theory. Focus groups were conducted with 35 African American women who were 50 years and older, nonpartnered, and heterosexual. Women were asked what they knew about HIV and if they thought older women were at risk for HIV. A thematic analysis using NVivo 11 yielded two central themes and three subthemes: HIV knowledge, including experiential knowledge, superficial knowledge, and no knowledge, and stigma around HIV in the Black church. Implications for developing HIV prevention programs and testing messages are discussed.

scholarly journals HIV Prevention Programming for Older African American Women: The Impact of a Faith-Based and Behavioral Science Partnership on Depressive Symptoms

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-294
Author(s):  
Megan T. Ebor ◽  
Aurora P. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
American Women ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Older African American Women ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The current study sought to test the effect of an HIV prevention interven­tion on depressive symptoms in a sample of older African American women.Design, Setting and Participants: A pretest-posttest randomized control group design was conducted in a mega-church in Los Angeles with a sample of 62 older African American women, aged ≥50 years, 29 of whom were randomly assigned to the experimental condition and 33 to the comparison/control condition.Measures: A measure of psychological wellbeing (CES-D) was utilized to test the effect of the four-session group interven­tion vs the one-session informational group intervention on change in depressive symp­toms from pretest to posttest. Demographic characteristics included: measures of age in years; relationship and employment statuses (coded 1 for yes, 0 for no); and educational attainment.Results: Participation in the study was as­sociated with a significant improvement in the women’s psychological wellbeing from baseline to time 2; ie, decreased depres­sive symptoms. This change was greater for women in the four-session experimental group than for those in the one-session comparison group, due in part to a margin­ally significant interaction between time and experimental conditions.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of faith-based/behavioral-scientist partnerships in HIV programming. Findings contribute to the evidence on interventions that might reduce depressive symptoms and HIV risk among older African American women. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(2):287-294; doi:10.18865/ed.30.2.287

scholarly journals Factors associated with disability among middle-aged and older African American women with osteoarthritis

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janiece L. Walker ◽  
Tracie C. Harrison ◽  
Adama Brown ◽  
Roland J. Thorpe ◽  
Sarah L. Szanton
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
American Women ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Older African American Women

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
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