Examining the relationship between racial residential segregation and physical activity among older African American Church Members

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between racial residential segregation and physical activity among older African American church members living in the Southeastern, United States. Using the concept of therapeutic landscapes, quantitative and qualitative methods were conducted with participants from a cancer screening and physical activity intervention. Counts of parks and recreational facilities within a 1-mile buffer of participants were measured and hypothesized to be a potential mediator between racial residential segregation and physical activity. Using multilevel regression models, analyses were conducted on 472 participants from 3 urban counties in NC. A 10% increase in the proportion of African Americans residing in a neighborhood was associated with approximately 8 more minutes of physical activity. Participants living in neighborhoods with a greater proportion of African American residents were 81% less likely to meet physical activity recommendations. To understand the perception of the neighborhood environment on physical activity, 12 participants residing in predominantly African American neighborhoods were interviewed. Themes that emerged related to participants' physical activity and their neighborhood, included feelings of safety, physical appearance of neighborhood, knowing your neighbors, and neighborhood opportunities for physical activity. The Southeastern, US has a historical and social context, which may operate differently to impact physical activity among older African Americans, as compared to other regions of the U.S. Examining this relationship closer may help to illuminate which aspects of racially segregated neighborhoods create an environment for physical activity and may lead to the design of effective interventions for this population.