The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #59659

Barbara J. Speck, PhD, RN¹, Vicki Hines-Martin, PhD, RN¹, Stephen W Looney, PhD², and Barbara A. Stetson, PhD³. (1) School of Nursing, University of Louisville, 555 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY 40292, 502-852-8513, bjspec01@louisville.edu, (2) Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, University of Louisville, 555 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY 40292, (3) Psychology, Arts & Sciences, 317 Life Sciences Building, Belknap Campus, Louisville, KY 40292

Purpose: To reduce community environmental barriers to physical activity in medically underserved women.

Design: Mixed methodology 1) quantitative (quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, cohort design in which no treatment partitioning is possible) and qualitative (focus groups).

Setting: Church sponsored community center with nurse-managed clinic located in a low-income neighborhood. The comparison group was recruited first followed by the intervention group to control for setting.

Sample: 75 women per group between the ages of 18 and 64, resident of a neighborhood served by the community center, participates(d) in a food distribution program at the community center, ability to engage in physical activities.

Variables: Independent variables include demographic, psychosocial, physical activity, physiologic (cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure), and anthropometric measures. Outcome measures include change in physiologic and anthropometric measures, level of physical activity, and attendance at physical activity events.

Intervention: The intervention will be facilitated by an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner and was guided by the Pender Health Promotion Model and a community-as-partner model. The 6 month intervention is two-fold: 1) provide culturally appropriate educational activities to increase women’s comfort level at the community center, and 2) provide multiple culturally appropriate physical activity opportunities utilizing the facilities at the community center and neighborhoods.

Procedure: The University Institutional Review Board approved the study. Subjects were recruited for the comparison group (6 months) followed by the intervention group (6 months). Independent variables were measured at pretest and posttest in both groups.

Findings: This presentation will describe the research methods and current data from the comparison group.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe a pilot study of a community based physical activity program for medically underserved women.
• Identify how an advanced registered nurse practitioner could facilitate a community based physical activity program.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.