TY - JOUR
T1 - Physical Activity and Nutrition among Immigrant and Refugee Women
T2 - A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach
AU - Wieland, Mark L.
AU - Weis, Jennifer A.
AU - Palmer, Tiffany
AU - Goodson, Miriam
AU - Loth, Sheena
AU - Omer, Fatuma
AU - Abbenyi, Adeline
AU - Krucker, Karen
AU - Edens, Kim
AU - Sia, Irene G.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the Rochester Area Family YMCA for providing the space and support to conduct this project. We thank all of the RHCP volunteers who participated. This project is supported by the National Institutes of Health through a Partners in Research grant, R03 AI082703 , by the National Institutes of Health Grant R01-HL-73884 and by Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Grant UL1-RR-024150 (to the Mayo Clinic).
PY - 2012/3
Y1 - 2012/3
N2 - Background: Immigrant and refugee populations arrive to the U.S. healthier than the general population, but the longer they reside, the more they approximate the cardiovascular risk profiles of the country. Among women, these declines are partly mediated by less physical activity and lower dietary quality upon immigration. Given the complex forces that influence these behaviors, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach is appropriate. Therefore, a socioculturally responsive physical activity and nutrition program was created with and for immigrant and refugee women in Rochester, Minnesota, through a CBPR approach. Methods: Focus groups informed program content and revealed principles for designing the sessions. A 6-week program with two, 90-minute classes per week was conducted among 45 women (Hispanic, Somali, Cambodian, and non-immigrant African American). Average attendance was 22.5 women per class; 34 women completed the evaluation. Results: Evaluation revealed high acceptability (average overall score of 4.85 out of 5 on the Physical Activity Class Satisfaction Questionnaire). After the intervention, participants were more likely to exercise regularly (p ≤.001). They reported higher health-related quality of life (p ≤.001) and self-efficacy for diet (p =36) and exercise (p =10). Likewise, there were trends for weight loss (87 vs 83.4 kg; p =65), decreased waist circumference (99.6 vs 95.5 cm; p =35), and lower blood pressure (125/80 vs 122/76 mm/Hg; p =27). Conclusion: A CBPR approach to design and implement a socioculturally responsive fitness program was highly acceptable to immigrant and refugee women and demonstrated promising outcomes. Further testing of physical activity and nutrition interventions that arise organically from target communities are needed.
AB - Background: Immigrant and refugee populations arrive to the U.S. healthier than the general population, but the longer they reside, the more they approximate the cardiovascular risk profiles of the country. Among women, these declines are partly mediated by less physical activity and lower dietary quality upon immigration. Given the complex forces that influence these behaviors, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach is appropriate. Therefore, a socioculturally responsive physical activity and nutrition program was created with and for immigrant and refugee women in Rochester, Minnesota, through a CBPR approach. Methods: Focus groups informed program content and revealed principles for designing the sessions. A 6-week program with two, 90-minute classes per week was conducted among 45 women (Hispanic, Somali, Cambodian, and non-immigrant African American). Average attendance was 22.5 women per class; 34 women completed the evaluation. Results: Evaluation revealed high acceptability (average overall score of 4.85 out of 5 on the Physical Activity Class Satisfaction Questionnaire). After the intervention, participants were more likely to exercise regularly (p ≤.001). They reported higher health-related quality of life (p ≤.001) and self-efficacy for diet (p =36) and exercise (p =10). Likewise, there were trends for weight loss (87 vs 83.4 kg; p =65), decreased waist circumference (99.6 vs 95.5 cm; p =35), and lower blood pressure (125/80 vs 122/76 mm/Hg; p =27). Conclusion: A CBPR approach to design and implement a socioculturally responsive fitness program was highly acceptable to immigrant and refugee women and demonstrated promising outcomes. Further testing of physical activity and nutrition interventions that arise organically from target communities are needed.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.whi.2011.10.002
DO - 10.1016/j.whi.2011.10.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 22154889
AN - SCOPUS:84857691622
SN - 1049-3867
VL - 22
SP - e225-e232
JO - Women's Health Issues
JF - Women's Health Issues
IS - 2
ER -