312187
Examining physical activity levels and attitudes to physical activity in older Mexican women following six-month lifestyle intervention program
Methods: Eighteen Mexican women ages 50+ (M= 64; SD=9 years) residing in a Hispanic Chicago community were invited to participate in the “Abuelas en Accion” program (AEA). AEA is a culturally sensitive program that incorporates both intergenerational activities and religious content through educational workshops on PA, nutrition, and stress management. Weekly PA was objectively assessed pre- and post- 6 months interventions using Actigraph GT3X accelerometers. Participants’ perception of PA change was assessed by in-depth interviews.
Results: After the intervention, participants significantly increased by 65 min/wk their moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (t (17) = 2.11, p≤.05). Participants reported changes in their perceptions of PA after the program: greater commitment to better health through PA; greater ability to overcome obstacles to active living; and improved understanding of how incorporating PA into daily life can be important.
Discussion
The lifestyle intervention program was effective in increasing MVPA of the participants. Such increases in MVPA may reflect participants’ efforts to adopt more active lifestyles through active commuting, such as walking and other activities such as shopping.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsDiversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate that culturally sensitive initiatives are a promising strategy to increase physical activity in underserved, at risk populations.
Demonstrate that combined qualitative and quantitative research designs may result in more meaningful and useful data in studies examining physical activity attitudes and behavior.
Keyword(s): Health Promotion and Education, Latinos
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I helped during the process of the intervention design and data collection. Specific for the data collection, along with another research investigator we were responsible for the physical activity data collection portion.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.