Outcomes of a home-based walking program for African-American women

Abstract

PURPOSE: As compared with minimal treatment (MT), to determine the effectiveness of a home-based walking intervention enhanced by behavioral strategies targeted and tailored to African-American women (enhanced treatment [ET]) on adherence, physical activity, fitness, and body composition at 24 and 48 weeks. DESIGN: Using a quasi-experimental design, treatments were randomly assigned to one of two community health centers. SETTING: The centers were in predominately African-American communities. PARTICIPANTS: Sedentary women (156 ET, 125 MT) 40 to 65 years were recruited within a 3-mile radius of each center. INTERVENTION: Both treatments had the same orientation. The ET group had four targeted workshops followed by weekly tailored telephone calls over 24 weeks. METHODS: Generalized linear mixed models were used to test effects of treatments on adherence, physical activity, aerobic fitness, and body composition. RESULTS: Adherence was significantly higher in the ET than the MT group and was related to the number of workshops attended (r = .58) and tailored calls (r = .25) received. On-treatment analysis showed significant postintervention improvement in waist circumference and fitness in the ET group; however, these improvements were not statistically different between the two groups. Intent to treat analysis showed a significant increase in fitness, decrease in waist circumference, and no change in body mass index in both treatments. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the potential impact of workshop group support on adherence in African-American women