Activity Levels, Fitness Status, Exercise Knowledge, and Exercise Beliefs among Healthy, Older African American and White Women

Abstract

This study examined self-reported activity, measured fitness status, exercise knowledge, and exercise beliefs of 48 African American and 51 White females in good health between the ages of 50 and 80 years enrolled in a health promotion project. Examination of fitness status by ethnicity indicated a higher level of fitness among White females. Ethnic differences were found on 2 of 6 exercise belief items and 2 of 3 exercise knowledge questions. A multiple regression analysis found that activity level was predicted by the knowledge question concerning heart rate during exercise necessary to maintain fitness, the belief concerning the difficulty "to stick to a regular schedule of physical activity," and the belief concerning the difficulty "to find the time to exercise on a regular basis." The findings suggest that health promotion efforts need to determine exercise attitudes and beliefs of older women, provide basic exercise knowledge, and include fitness programs designed specifically for older women.