To determine the efficacy of community-based, culturally tailored exercise intervention on the moderate and vigorous physical activity and physiologic outcomes of low-income Latino women (Latinas).
Design.
A randomized trial contrasted safety education to an aerobic dance intervention.
Setting.
Interventions were held in a “store-front” exercise site near a community clinic.
Subjects.
Sedentary low-income Latinas (N = 151; 18—55 years; 70% overweight/obese) were recruited. Retention was 91% for follow-up measures.
Intervention.
Three sessions per week of supervised aerobic dance were provided for 6 months. Controls attended 18 safety education sessions over 6 months.
Measures.
Physical activity and aerobic fitness (VO2max) were primary outcomes.
Results.
Participants in the exercise group reported more vigorous exercise (p < .001) and walking (p = .005) at post-test than controls. Aerobic dance and unsupervised activity resulted in a five-fold greater increase in relative VO2max compared with controls (p < .001). Although exercise and fitness decreased at follow-up, vigorous exercise (p = .001) and relative VO2max (p < .001) remained higher in the exercise group, suggesting maintenance at 1 year.
Conclusion.
Culturally tailored aerobic dance can increase vigorous physical activity, possibly generalizing to walking, and the combination can improve cardiorespiratory fitness in low-income, overweight, sedentary Latinas.
Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Ga: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; 1996.
4.
SiscovickDSLaPorteRENewmanJM. The disease-specific benefits and risks of physical activity and exercise. Public Health Rep. 1985;100:180–188.
TuomilehtoJLindstromJErikssonJG, Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by changes in lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. N Engl J Med. 2001;344:1343–1350.
7.
Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346: 393–403.
8.
Joslin Diabetes Center, Latino Diabetes Initiative. Available at: http://www.joslin.org/3250.asp. Accessed February, 4, 2005.
9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm. Accessed November 5, 2004.
10.
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Latino Community Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Outreach Initiative: Background Report. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/heart/latino/lat_bkgd.pdf. Accessed December 15, 2004.
11.
CousinsJHRubovitsDSDunnJK, Family versus individually oriented intervention for weight loss in Mexican American women. Public Health Rep. 1992;107:549–556.
12.
GillDS. Testing a Biopsychosocial Model of Health Behavior: A Community Intervention for Reducing Obesity in Mexican-American Women. [dissertation]. Los Angeles, Calif: University of California, Los Angeles; 1998.
13.
PostonWSC2ndHaddockCKOlveraNE, Evaluation of a culturally appropriate intervention to increase physical activity. Am J Health Behav. 2001;25:396–406.
14.
KennedyCDavoeDSkovJShort-DeGraffM.Attitudinal changes toward exercise in Mexican-American women. Occup Ther Health Care. 1998;11:17–28.
15.
ChenAHSallisJFCastroCM, A home-based behavioral intervention to promote walking in sedentary ethnic minority women: Project WALK. Womens Health Res Gender, Behav Policy. 1988; 4:19–39.
16.
CollinsRLeeREAlbrightCLKingAC. Ready to be physically active? The effects of a course preparing low-income multiethnic women to be more physically active. Health Educ Behav. 2004;31:47–64.
17.
AvilaPHovellMF. Physical activity training for weight loss in Latinas: A controlled trial. Int J Obes. 1994;18: 476–482.
18.
RovniakLSHovellMFWojcikJR, Enhancing theoretical fidelity: An e-mail based walking program demonstration. Am J Health Promot. 2005;20:85–95.
19.
ChanceP.First Course in Applied Behavior Analysis. Long Grove, Ill: Waveland Press, Inc: 2006.
20.
Summary of the second report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel II). JAMA. 1993;269:3015–3023.
21.
Sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-VI). Arch Intern Med. 1997;157:2413–2446.
22.
The sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. NIH Publication No. 98–4080. Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National High Blood Pressure Education Program; 1997.
23.
NiemanDC. Fitness and Sports Medicine: A Health-related Approach. 3rd ed.Palo Alto, Calif: Bull Publishing Co; 1995.
24.
PollockMLSchmidtDHJacksonAS. Measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in the clinical setting. Compr Ther. 1980;6:12–27.
25.
BorgGAV. Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1982;14:377–381.
26.
SallisJFHovellMFHofstetterCR. Predictors of adoption and maintenance of vigorous physical activity in men and women. Prev Med. 1992;21:237–251.
CuellarIHarrisLCJassoR.An acculturation scale for Mexican American normal and clinical populations. Hisp J Behav Sci. 1980;2:199–217.
31.
DishmanRKBuckworthJ.Adherence to physical activity. In: MorganWP, ed. Physical Activity and Mental Health. Philadelphia, Pa: Taylor & Francis; 1997:63–63.
32.
DishmanRK. Increasing and maintaining exercise and physical activity. Behav Ther. 1991;22:345–378.
33.
SallisJFOwenN.Ecological models of health behavior. In: GlanzKRimerBKLewisFM, eds. Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. 3rd ed.San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass: 2002:462–462.
34.
AdamsMAHovellMFIrvinV, Promoting stair use by modeling: An experimental application of the behavioral ecological model. Am J Health Promot. In press.
