American journal of preventive medicine
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Physical inactivity is prevalent among African-American women in rural Alabama. The purpose of this study was to explore personal, social, and physical environmental factors associated with activity to help plan interventions. ⋯ Social environmental factors were associated with higher levels of activity and need to be considered when planning interventions. More research is needed to identify associations between specific aspects of the social environment and physical activity behaviors.
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Personal, social, and environmental correlates of physical activity in rural Midwestern white women.
Physical activity is a promising component of cardiovascular disease prevention among women. Research in this area is expanding, but much needs to be done to assess subgroups of the population (e.g., people living in rural environments). The study goal was to determine personal, social environmental, and physical environmental correlates of physical activity among rural white women aged 20 to 50 years. ⋯ More research is needed on the assessment of important issues regarding physical activity in women. Interventions should use assessment information to tailor programs and to address personal, social environmental, and physical environmental components.
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Personal, social, and environmental correlates of physical activity in urban African-American women.
African-American women are at risk of chronic diseases for which regular physical activity can provide benefits. This group, however, remains predominantly sedentary. Little research has been undertaken to elucidate the multiple factors that influence their physical activity levels. This study was designed to determine associations among personal, social environmental, and physical environmental factors with physical activity level in urban African-American women. ⋯ Further exploration is needed to determine how personal and social environmental and physical environmental factors relate to physical activity in African-American women.
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Little is known about the correlates of physical activity among African-American women living in the southeastern United States. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of personal, social, cultural, environmental, and policy variables with physical activity among women in ethnic minority groups. ⋯ Multiple factors influence physical activity. Interventions to increase physical activity should use multilevel approaches that incorporate the personal, social environmental, and physical environmental factors related to participation in physical activity.
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Aging is associated with a number of physiologic and functional declines that can contribute to increased disability, frailty, and falls. Contributing factors are the loss of muscle mass and strength as age increases, a phenomenon called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia can result or be exacerbated by certain chronic conditions, and can also increase the burden of chronic disease. ⋯ This paper reviews the current research on strength training and older adults, evaluating exercise protocols in a variety of populations. It is clear that a variety of strength-training prescriptions from highly controlled laboratory-based to minimally supervised home-based programs have the ability to elicit meaningful health benefits in older adults. The key challenges as this field of exercise science moves forward are to best identify the most appropriate strength-training recommendations for older adults and to greatly increase the access to safe and effective programs in a variety of settings.