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.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American College of Sports Medicine . (1990). The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 22, 265-274.
2.
Andrew, G. M. , Oldridge, N. B., Parker, J. O., Cunningham, D. A., Rechnitzer, P. A., Jones, N. L., Buck, C., Kavanagh, T., Shephard, R. J., & Sutton, J. R. (1981). Reasons for dropout from exercise programs in post-coronary patients. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 13, 164-168.
3.
Badenhop, D. T. , Cleary, P. A., Schaal, S. F., Fox, E. L., & Bartell, B. L. (1983). Physiological adjustment to higher or lower intensity exercise in elders. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 15(6), 496-502.
4.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
5.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
6.
Becker, M. H. (Ed.). (1974). The health belief model and personal health behavior. Health Education Monographs, 2, 324-508.
7.
Bortz, W. M. (1980). Effect of exercise on aging-Effect of aging on exercise. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 28, 49-51.
8.
Caspersen, C. J. , Christenson, G. M., & Pollard, B. A. (1986). Status of the 1990 fitness and exercise objectives: Evidence from N.H.I.S. 1985. Public Health Report, 101, 587-592.
9.
Centers for Disease Control . (1989). Surgeon General's workshop on health promotion and aging: Summary recommendations of the physical fitness and exercise group. Journal of the American Medical Association, 262, 2507-2510.
10.
deVries, H. A. (1970). Physiological effects of an exercise training regimen upon men aged 52-88. Journal of Gerontology, 25, 325-336.
11.
Dishman, R. K. , Sallis, J. F., & Orenstein, D. R. (1985). The determinants of physical activity and exercise. Public Health Report, 100(2), 158-171.
12.
Fiatarone, M. A. , Marks, E. C., Ryan, N. D., Meredith, C. N., Lipsitz, L. A., & Evans, W. J. (1990). High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians: Effects on skeletal muscle. Journal of the American Medical Association, 263(22), 3029-3034.
13.
Folsom, A. R. , Cook, T. C., Sprafka, J. M., Burke, G. L., Norsted, S. W., & Jacobs, D. R. (1991). Differences in leisure-time physical activity levels between blacks and whites in population-based samples: The Minnesota Heart Survey. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 14, 1-9.
14.
Ford, E. S. , Meritt, R. K., Heath, G. W., Powell, K. E., Washburn, R. H., Kriska, A., & Haile, G. (1991). Physical activity behavior in lower and higher socioeconomic status populations. American Journal of Epidemiology, 133, 1246-1256.
15.
Godin, G. , Shephard, R. J., & Colontonia, A. (1986). The cognitive profile of those who intend to exercise but do not. Public Health Report, 101, 521-526.
16.
Harris, S. S. , Caspersen, C. J., DeFriese, G. H., & Estes, H. E. (1989). Physical activity counseling for healthy adults as a primary preventive intervention. Journal of the American Medical Association, 261(24), 3590-3598.
17.
Haskell, W. L. , Montoye, H. J., & Orenstein, D. (1985). Physical activity and exercise to achieve health related physical fitness components. Public Health Report, 100, 202-212.
18.
Hodgson, J. L. , & Boskirk, E. R. (1977). Physical fitness and age, with emphasis on cardiovascular function in the elderly. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 25, 385-392.
19.
IOX Assessment Associates . (1983). A handbook to evaluate physical fitness programs. Prepared for the Center for Health Promotion and Education, Centers for Disease Control; in cooperation with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (DHHS, Contract No. 200-81-0622, pp. 253-257). The Centers, Atlanta, GA.
20.
Janz, N. , & Becker, M. H. (1984). The health belief model: A decade later. Health Education Quarterly, 11(1), 1-47.
21.
Kingery, P. (1990). Self-efficacy and the self-monitoring of selected exercise and eating behaviors of collegestudents. Health Education, 21(1), 26-29.
22.
Laporte, R. E. , Adams, L. L., Savage, D. D., Brenes, G., Dearwater, S., & Cook, T. (1984). The spectrum of physical activity, cardiovascular disease and health: An epidemiologic perspective. American Journal of Epidemiology, 120(4), 507-517.
23.
McCauley, E. , & Jacobson, L., (1991). Self-efficacy and exercise participation in sedentary adult females. American Journal of Health Promotion, 5, 185-191.
24.
Morris, J. N. , Pollard, R., Everitt, M. G., & Chave, S. P. (1980). Vigorous exercise in leisure time: Protection against coronary heart disease. Lancet, 8(206), 1207-1210.
25.
Naughton, J. P. , & Haider, R. (1973). Methods in exercise training. In J. P. Naughton & J. P. Hellerstein (Eds.), Exercise testing and training in coronary heart disease. New York: Academic Press.
26.
Paffenbarger, R. S. , Wing, A. L., & Hyde, R. T., (1978). Physical activity as an index of heart attack risk in college alumni. American Journal of Epidemiology, 108, 161-175.
27.
Paffenbarger, R. S. , Wing, A. L., Hyde, R. T., & Jung, D. L., (1983). Physical activity and incidence of hypertension in college alumni. American Journal of Epidemiology, 117, 245-257.
28.
Reavon, P. D. , Barrett-Conner, E., & Edelstein, S. (1991). Relation between leisure-time physical activity and blood pressure in older women. Circulation, 83, 559-565.
29.
Sallis, J. F. , Haskell, W. L., Fortmann, S. P., Vranizan, K. M., Taylor, C. B., & Solomon, D. S. (1986). Predictors of adoption and maintenance of physical exercise in a community sample. Preventive Medicine, 15, 331-341.
30.
Sallis, J. F. , Hovell, M. F., & Hofstetter, C. R. (1992). Predictors of adoption and maintenance of vigorous physical activity in men and women. Preventive Medicine, 21, 237-251.
31.
Sallis, J. F. , Hovell, M. F., Hofstetter, C. R., Faucher, P., Elder, J. P., Blanchard, J., Capersen, C. J., Powell, K. E., & Christenson, G. M. (1989). A multivariate study of determinants of vigorous exercise in a community sample. Preventive Medicine, 18, 20-34.
32.
SAS Institute Inc. , (1989). JMP user's guide: Version 2 of JMP. Cary, NC: Author.
33.
Schoenburn, C. A. (1986). Health habits of U.S. adults 1985: The "Alemeda 7" revisited. Public Health Report, 101, 571-580.
34.
Sharpe, P. A. , & Connell, C. M. (1992). Exercise beliefs and behaviors among older employees: A health promotion trial. The Gerontologist, 32, 444-449.
35.
Singleton, S. P. , Fitzgerald, J. T., & Neale, A. V. (1994). Self-reported physical activity and treadmill test performance in healthy older blacks and whites. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2, 14-24.
36.
Siscovick, D. S. , Laporte, R. E., & Newman, J. M. (1985). The disease-specific benefits and risks of physical activity and exercise. Public Health Report, 100, 180-188.
37.
Song, T. K. , Shephard, R. J., & Cox, M. (1983). Absenteeism, employee turnover and sustained participation. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 22, 392-399.
38.
Taylor, C. B. , Coffey, T., Berra, K., Iaffaldana, R., Casey, K., & Haskell, W. L. (1984). Seven-day activity and self-reported compared to a direct measurement of physical activity. American Journal of Epidemiology, 120, 818.
39.
Tzankoff, S. P. , Robinson, S., Pyke, F. S., & Brown, C. A. (1972). Physiological adjustment to work in older men as affected by physical training. Journal of Applied Physiology, 33, 346-350.
40.
Wilson, P. W. , Paffenbarger, R. S., & Morris, J. N. (1986). Assessment methods for physical activity and physical fitness in population studies. American Heart Journal, 111, 1177-1191.
