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Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on November 30, 2006
Health Education Research 2007 22(6):815-826; doi:10.1093/her/cyl149
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Understanding physical activity participation in members of an African American church: a qualitative study

Melissa Bopp1,*, Diana Lattimore2, Sara Wilcox3, Marilyn Laken4, Lottie McClorin3, Rosetta Swinton4, Octavia Gethers4 and Deborah Bryant5

1 Department of Kinesiology, Community Health Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
2 Department of Exercise and Sport Science, The University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
3 Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
4 Office of Special Initiatives, Health-e-AME, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
5 Division of Otolaryngology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA

* Correspondence to M. Boop. E-mail: mbopp{at}ksu.edu

Faith-based interventions hold promise for increasing physical activity (PA) and thereby reducing health disparities. This paper examines the perceived influences on PA participation, the link between spirituality and health behaviors and the role of the church in promoting PA in African Americans. Participants (n = 44) were adult members of African American churches in South Carolina. In preparation for a faith-based intervention, eight focus groups were conducted with sedentary or underactive participants. Groups were stratified by age (<55 years versus ≥55 years), geography and gender. Four general categories were determined from the focus groups: spirituality, barriers, enablers and desired PA programs. Personal, social, community and environmental barriers and enablers were described by both men and women, with no apparent differences by age. Additionally, both men and women mentioned aerobics, walking programs, sports and classes specifically for older adults as PA programs they would like available at church. This study provides useful information for understanding the attitudes and experiences with exercise among African Americans, and provides a foundation for promoting PA through interventions with this population by incorporating spirituality, culturally specific activities and social support within the church.

Received on October 19, 2005; accepted on September 14, 2006


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