Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate lifelong patterns of physical activity and processes of managing physical activity among 24 employed American Black women using ethnographic methods of intensive interviewing and participant observation. This naturalistic field study was framed by a cultural-ecological orientation focusing on understanding and describing individual/environmental transactions influencing physical activity practices. Physical activity, shaped by early family experiences and later peer group activities, was defined as routine activities of everyday life and consciously planned and practiced exercise. In adulthood, alternating periods of physical activity and sedentariness were common.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allan, J. D. (1986). Patterns and processes of weight management among urban dwelling women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, San Francisco.

Gillett, P. A. (1988). Self-reported factors influencing exercise adherence in overweight women. Nursing Research, 37, 25-29.

Gottlieb, N. H. , & Chen, M. S. (1985). Sociocultural correlates of childhood sporting activities: Their implications for heart health. Social Science and Medicine, 21, 533-539.

Gottlieb, N. H. , & Green, L. W. (1987). Ethnicity and lifestyle health risk: Some possible mechanisms. Journal of Health Promotion, 2(1), 3745, 51.

Haskell, W. L. , Montoye, H. J. , & Orenstein, D. (1985). Physical activity and exercise to achieve health related physical fitness components. Public Health Reports, 100, 202-211.

Hughes, R. A. , Housh, T. J. , Hughes, R. J. , & Johnson, G. O. (1991). The effect of exercise duration on serum cholesterol and triglycerides in women. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 62, 98-104.

Jochim, M. A. (1981). Strategies for survival: Cultural behavior in an ecological context. New York: Academic Press.

Kleinman, A. (1980). Patients and healers in the context of culture. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lazarus, R. , & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.

10.

Lofland, J. , & Lofland, L. H. (1984). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

11.

Newman, M. A. (1986). Health as expanding consciousness. St. Louis: Mosby.

12.

Paffenbarger, R. , Hyde, R. T. , Wing, A. L. , & Hsieh, C. (1986). Physical activity, all-cause mortality, and longevity of college alumni. New England Journal of Medicine, 414, 605-613.

13.

Pender, N. J. (1987). Health promotion in nursing practice (2nd ed.). Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.

14.

Schoenborn, C. A. (1986). Health habits of U.S. adults, 1985: the 'Alameda 7f revisited. Public Health Reports, 101, 571-580.

15.

Spradley, J. P. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

16.

Stephens, T. , Jacobs, D. R. , & White, C. C. (1985). A descriptive epidemiology of leisure-time physical activity. Public Health Reports, 100, 147-157.

17.

Stephenson, M. G. , Levy, A. S. , Sass, N. L. , & McGarvey, W. E. (1987). 1985 NHIS findings: Nutrition knowledge and baseline data for the weight-loss objectives. Public Health Reports, 102, 61-67.

18.

Tripp-Reimer, T. (1984). Reconceptualizing the construct of health: Integrating emic and etic perspectives. Research in Nursing and Health, 7, 101-109.

19.

Wankel, L. M. (1985). Personal and situational factors affecting exercise involvement: The importance of enjoyment. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 56, 275-282.

20.

Wilson, H. S. (1989). Research in nursing (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Physical Activity Practices among American Black Working Women

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References