Physical Activity Participation among African American Students: Understanding the role of Beliefs and Attitudes

Background: Physical inactivity is one of the most significant health challenges in the US today, as it leads to adverse health outcomes such as: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression, early mortality, etc. The CDC recommends that adults engage in at least thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (PA), five days a week. Roughly 39% of African Americans do not meet the recommended level of physical activity, and 25% are completely sedentary. Purpose: To identify the negative and positive perceptions of African American college students in association with reported PA levels. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) guided this exploratory study, namely: behavioral intent, attitudes, normative and behavior control beliefs related to PA. Methods: Utilized a cross-sectional, 30-item questionnaire, analyzed with SPSS. Study participants (N=140) were recruited from several sites in the Florida A&M University Campus, a historically Black university (HBCU). Results: 77.9% of the study population did not meet the recommended level of PA, although activity levels did not differ significantly between genders. Positive attitudes, supportive normative beliefs, and positive perceived behavioral control were all associated with PA intent level, as were age and classification. Most participants were unaware of PA recommendations. Conclusions: For this sample of African Americans, the critical period of time where college students' PA levels drop was identified. Findings regarding role models, campus v. non-campus residence, classification, and types of preferred activity can shape much needed culturally competent interventions, messages and research that focus on African American college students.