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

Abstract #107278

Betty L. Kaiser, MS, RN¹, Mary Elizabeth Bathum, MS, APRN, BC¹, and Linda C. Baumann, PhD, RN, FAAN². (1) School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 Highland Avenue K6/380, Madison, WI 53792-2455, 608-263-5315, blkaiser@wisc.edu, (2) University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Nursing, K6/342 Clinical Science Center, 600 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53792

Physical activity promotes healthy body weight, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and increases psychological well-being. Despite the health benefits of physical activity, many Americans lead sedentary lives. Community health nurses serve as critical resources to help people adopt more active lifestyles. They recognize that establishing a norm of daily physical activity is a challenge for most Americans. The challenge is particularly high for people in low-income communities, where risk factors for chronic disease are highly prevalent, and resources for physical activity are scarce or inaccessible. The Harambee Health Hour is a free health education and exercise program offered at a community center that serves a low-income and ethnically diverse neighborhood. Led by a group of volunteers and community nurses, participants of all fitness levels attend a one-hour session that includes 30 minutes of moderate physical activity guided by an individual or a video-tape, followed by discussion of a healthy lifestyle topic. All informational sessions, materials, and exercise instruction are bilingual in Spanish and English. The program has been offered for two years, and a group of 10-15 men and women, both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking, attends regularly. We will describe the characteristics of the program that have contributed to its sustainability, including elements that build a sense of community.

Learning Objectives: The learner will be able to

• List 3 elements that contribute to sustainability of programs that promote physical activity in low-income communities
• Define a sense of community.

Keywords: Physical Activity, Low-Income

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.