A Church-based Culturally Sensitive Physical Activity Intervention in African American Women

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to test a church-based, culturally sensitive, six-week intervention called GET FIT DON’T QUIT. The intervention aimed to increase knowledge and change beliefs about physical activity, and to improve social facilitation to increase self-regulation, in order to promote physical activity in African-American women. A two-group pretest/posttest, quasi-experimental design was conducted in a convenience sample ( N = 37) of African-American women. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group by church affiliation. The six-week intervention consisted of teaching and roundtable discussions, and email reminders to be physically active. There were significant differences ( p < .05) in the level of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and friend social support. There were no significant differences in knowledge of physical activity guidelines, beliefs, and family social support. These pilot study results suggested that multiple factors are associated with physical activity engagement in African-American women.