Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #101047

Michelle Annmarie Doldren, MPH CHES, Institute for Child Health Policy, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 S. University Drive, Suite 1213, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, 954-262-1932, mdoldren@hotmail.com and Fern Jureidini Webb, PhD, Department of Community Health and Family Medicine, University of Florida, 1255 LILA AVENUE, SUITE B, Jacksonville, FL 32208.

Obesity is now recognized as the primary, preventable factor predicting high incidence, morbidity, and mortality disease rates among all Americans, and African-American women (CDC, 2004). Adopting healthier eating habits, increasing physical and social activities, and obtaining recommended screenings significantly improve health and overall quality of life. However, the majority of the population fails to adhere to these practices. Current recommendations are to develop innovative programs specifically designed to meet the needs of diverse populations since a significant difference exists between recommended guidelines and what Americans actually practice. The purposes of this study were to 1) determine the percent of women participating in preventive health behavior practices; 2) determine the percent of women reporting readiness for change; and 3) examine associations between study factors to develop a culturally competent, evidenced-based lifestyle modification program to improve health outcomes among southern, African-American women. Two epidemiologic studies were conducted to answer specific aims of this research. The qualitative study involved six focus groups with 48 African-American women. The quantitative study was conducted with over 300 African-American women to validate findings from the focus group. Topics discussed included personal views, experiences and knowledge surrounding exercise as well as solutions for improvement. Preliminary findings indicate that participants are aware of what it takes to become healthier although access, cost, and time barriers outweigh efforts to eat healthy and participate in a regular exercise program. Suggestions include developing a buddy system to increase accountability, and identifying simple changes that are more sustainable.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify barriers and challenges that decrease participation in preventive health practices for African American women.
• Identify motivators for participation in preventive health practices for African American women.
• Examine which preventive health practices (eating habits, physical activities, social support) are most effective for African American women.

Keywords: Minority Health, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.