Environmental, Policy, and Cultural Factors Related to Physical Activity in a Diverse Sample of Wome

Book excerpt: Learn to tailor physical activity interventions to the women you work with! Ethnic minority and low-income women have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the highest rates of physical inactivity—an independent risk factor for CVD. This book discusses the environmental, policy, and cultural factors that affect the tendency of these women (ages 20–50) to undertake physical activities. This vital information is based on qualitative research conducted in various locations in the United States with African-American, American Indian, Latina, and white women living in both urban and rural environments. Along with individual chapters on separate groups of women, this book includes a thorough summary discussing the similarities and differences among the groups—and recommendations for future research. This book will increase your understanding of: the impact of environmental influences on women's patterns of physical activity the mission and methodology of the Women's Cardiovascular Health Network Project cultural, environmental, and policy determinants of physical activity based upon the responses of the focus groups involved in the study, which include a) low-income minority women b) well-educated urban African-American women c) African-American women in the southeastern United States d) rural African-American women e) rural white women who say they don't exercise regularly f) Latina immigrants g) Southwestern American Indian women