Browsing by Subject "Physical Activity"
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Item A narrative investigation of adult latina's life experience of physical activity adherence(2009-05-15) Wagner, Susan AllisonThe purpose of this study was to explore the lifelong physical activity (PA) stories of Latinas to determine motives that contribute to exercise adherence behaviors. Using an interview process, life histories were collected from six self-identified PA adherents of Hispanic descent. Three narrative analysis techniques were used to analyze the interviews and the transcript of a follow-up focus group meeting. In the first technique, the Holistic-Content perspective and Labovian transcription were used to identify major themes common in the interviews. Adherence themes that emerged were: 1) culture and family, 2) being pushed, 3) health, 4) role models, and 5) competence. A review of these themes resulted in several suggestions for teaching practitioners: 1) including enjoyment as a criteria for planning activities, 2) focusing on positive reinforcement from teachers and families, 3) providing early opportunities for success, and 4) interacting with strong female role models. A second analysis technique, Lakoff and Johnson's linguistic studies using metaphor to understand one idea in terms of another, yielded the concept of love as health. Study participants frequently used the terms love and addiction in connection with PA. Participants suggested the following as characteristics of healthy love relationships: loyalty, community, positive results, and variety. The term addiction, while not specifically a metaphor, emerged during this process as a powerful exercise adherence motivator. Euphoria and "not feeling right unless I exercise" were cited as primary reasons for adherence behavior. The third technique used was Borman's Symbolic Convergence Theory in which a rhetorical community is formed around a fantasy theme. The theme "perfect body" was identified in the stories as common to four of the participants. Via the media and pop culture, the rhetorical community communicates that a "perfect body" can be achieved with PA and diet. The oppressive gendered message here is that a woman's worth is largely determined by the look of her body, and having the perfect body is the way to success. Facilitating the shift from solely external motivators to a more balanced internal/external set of motivators and from solely negative motivators to positive reasons for exercise adherence is the recommended goal for teaching practitioners.Item Equipment Availability in the Home and School Environment: Its Relationship on Physical Activity in Children(2013-01-14) Montandon, KristiOver the past three decades, instances of childhood obesity have tripled in the United States and are recognized as a serious public concern that requires action. Environmental factors have been identified as potential influences on the physical activity behavior of children; availability of equipment is one of these factors. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to examine availability of equipment as an environmental influence on a child?s physical activity behavior. The two environments where children spend the major of time, home and school, were evaluated for equipment availability and increased physical activity. Three studies were conducted to complete this purpose. In Manuscript 1, a systematic literature review was conducted, which included electronic databases as well as reference lists and author?s works as relevant. Only studies which measured home and school environments as factors in physical activity of children ages 5-12 were included. The review was conducted to determine the theoretical framework most used. Of the thirty-one studies reviewed, 67% showed little or no theoretical framework driving the study. Theoretical framework and models based on theory is needed to advance the field and this body of literature. In Manuscript 2, a systematic literature review was conducted which included electronic databases as well as reference lists and author?s works as relevant. Only studies which measured home and school environments and highlighted the availability of equipment as a factor in physical activity of children ages 5-12 were included. Of the twenty-one studies reviewed, only 14% clearly defined ?equipment? and how it was measured for the particular study. With multiple definitions and confusion when comparing studies, standardization in this area is desperately needed. Manuscript 3, analyzed data from a larger study, NIH, Student Wellness Assessment and Advocacy Project (SWAAP), conducted in Waller county Texas, 2010. The results demonstrated which pieces of equipment in the home environment were available and the percentage of use. School environments were measured for availability of equipment and facilities. A linear regression analysis determined that being of Hispanic race was significant in less physical activity in an average seven day period. Given that children spend up to 80% of their day at home or school, influences in these two environments are extremely important to the development of physical activity behaviors. Future studies involving the availability and use of equipment should clearly define the type of equipment used or observed. In cases of intervention studies type and amount need to be clearly defined as well as assessment of its effect on physical activity in children. Several studies have been conducted for the specific age group of 6-12 year olds and their physical activity and multiple factors involved availability of opportunities for physical activity. Of those factors equipment availability has been shown to influence physical activity as well as not influence these opportunities. Standardization of the term equipment and how it is measured will allow researchers to have a clearer picture of the role that equipment plays in opportunities for children to be physically active.Item Mr and Mrs: How 'I Do' Impacts Physical Activity in Married Individuals(2012-07-16) Michel, Kacy L.This dissertation presents three separate studies designed to investigate the relationship between marriage and physical activity behavior. First, a systematic literature review of nineteen articles presents qualitative and quantitative articles from 2000 to 2010 that focus on the relationship between marriage and physical activity and/or exercise. Based on the findings from the review, social support (or lack of support), culturally-determined gender roles, environmental factors such as income level, and intrapersonal factors such as self-efficacy each influenced spousal physical activity. Secondly, a qualitative study based on interviews and photographs from twenty-four married individuals utilized Social Cognitive Theory to explore the mechanisms, determinants, and influences of spousal physical activity. Findings indicate verbal persuasion by husbands encouraged wives, yet verbal persuasion by wives was perceived as nagging by men. While verbal persuasion by husbands increased a small number of wives' sense of self-efficacy, the majority of women felt that persuasion increased motivation, not necessarily confidence. Findings also highlighted the power of modeling to increase husbands' physical activity. Overwhelmingly, men reacted more positively to modeling than verbal persuasion. Lastly, a second qualitative piece employed General Systems Theory to conceive of the marital unit as a type of system working within other broader systems. Findings highlighted the desire for increased quality time as a motivator for physical activity within the marital system. Also, the larger cultural, occupational, and familial systems greatly influenced marital dyads. Cultural expectations to be the primary caregiver negatively impacted wives while occupational pressures negatively influenced both parts of the marital dyad. Regarding the familial system, parents cited the influence of their own parents as well as a desire to "pass on" exemplary physical activity habits to their children. Finally, couples with children highlighted an increase in exercise frequency yet decrease in exercise intensity.Item Nearby Outdoor Environmental Support of Older Adults' Yard Activities, Neighborhood Walking and Independent Living in the Community(2011-02-22) Wang, ZheAging is a global phenomenon. Ways to sustain older adults' aging-in-place in the 'community at-large' (defined as traditional communities where most people live) have been overlooked. Consciously engaging in physical activity helps older adults to remain healthy and gives them the ability to access daily-life services, and thus extend their independent years at home. Nearby outdoor environments on residential sites and in the neighborhoods may influence older adults' independent living through physical activity. This study surveyed 206 older adults in 11 assisted-living facilities in Texas regarding their past physical activities when they lived in their own homes and perceptions of the residential site and neighborhood environments. Older adults are shown to have long-term recall ability and capable of reliably estimating their physical activities that occurred up to ten years ago. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to verify the survey responses and further examine the objective measurements of environments on a subset of 117 participants' residences. Bivariate tests, factor analysis, and multivariate logistic regression modeling were conducted to identify environmental variables correlated to yard activities, neighborhood walking, and years of independent living at home. After controlling for personal and social factors in multivariate logistic modeling, three site features (transitional-areas, connecting-paths, and levels of pleasant indoor sunshine) have been found to influence yard activities; two site features (yard landscaping and corner lot location) and three neighborhood features (walking destinations, safety from crime, and sidewalks) have been found to influence neighborhood walking; one site features (transitional-areas) has been found to influence older adults' years of independent living in the community. Based on the results, guidelines were developed for designing friendly environments for older adults' active and independent living. Nearby outdoor environments on residential sites and in the neighborhoods appear to be important for older adults. The roles of residential site environments in shaping older adults' behavior and independence need more attention. To better understand environmental influences on older adults and promote aging-in-place, more empirical studies and longitudinal research are needed.Item The effects of neighborhood environments on the level of physical activity among older african american women in Texas(2009-05-15) Shin, Woo HwaThe older African American women living Texas fall into one of the most inactive population segments. Recently, the importance of socio-ecological models on human health behavior and more complex associations between variables have been discussed. Therefore, this cross-sectional study focuses on investigating the trends in physical activity among older African American women, exploring the effects of actual environmental variables that might encourage or discourage their physical activity, and discovering any plausible mediating effects between environmental factors and older African American women?s physical activity. The study sample is composed of African American women aged 55 to 84 who reside in independent housing in Bryan, Texas. A total of 282 older African American women?s addresses were systematically selected and a self-administrated survey questionnaire documenting the level of physical activity, psychological well-being, sense of community, perception of safety, physical health status, and background information was collected for each of the women. The environmental influences of natural and built environments were defined using two boundaries: 1) nearby home level (0.5 mile street distance), and 2) neighborhood level (1 mile street distance) from the participant?s house. The natural and built environments were measured using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and aerial photographs. Results showed that a) walking was the most prevalent type of physical activity and streets were the most popular places for older African American women; b) at the nearby home level, greenery and land use mixture were positively associated with older African American women?s physical activity while street pattern and access to commercial areas influenced their physical activity at the neighborhood level; and c) perceptions of crime-related neighborhood problems had significant mediating effects decreasing older African American women?s physical activity. The findings revealed that the environmental variables had a distance effects on older women?s physical activity. In addition, on a policy level, neighborhood problems should be dealt with using careful insight in order to encourage physical activity.Item The Role of Landscape Spatial Patterns on Childhood Obesity and Quality of Life: A Study of Hispanic Children in Inner-City Neighborhoods(2011-08-08) Kim, Jun HyunThis research examines the associations between landscape spatial patterns of urban forests, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and obesity (captured by body mass index, BMI) among Hispanic children living in Houston's inner city neighborhoods. One hundred 4th and 5th grade children and their mothers were recruited from five elementary schools. Children's BMI values were calculated from objectively measured height and weight. Children were surveyed about their environmental perceptions, physical activity, and socio-demographic factors. In addition, both the children and their mothers completed the PedsQL survey to measure the children's HRQOL. Using high-resolution Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangle (DOQQ) aerial photo imagery, landscape spatial patterns of urban forests were measured by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing. FRAGSTATS was used to compute various landscape indices for areas within a half-mile and a quarter-mile from each child's home, using both airline and network distances. Multiple regression models were used to predict the children's BMI and HRQOL. Four groups of independent variables were examined: landscape indices, socio-demographic variables, physical activity, and environmental perceptions and satisfaction (factor variables). Separate models were estimated using the GIS variables captured at different spatial extents including a half-mile and quarter-mile airline buffer, and a half-mile and quarter-mile network buffer. This research showed that several landscape indices were significantly correlated with the children's BMI and HRQOL. Well-connected landscape spatial patterns and more tree patches (disaggregated landscape patterns) in a half-mile airline buffer from the subjects' homes were negatively associated with the children's BMI. Less fragmented landscape spatial conditions and larger areas of urban forests and tree patches showed positive associations with the children's HRQOL. This research adds to the current multi-disciplinary area of research on environment-health relationships, by investigating the roles of urban greeneries and linking their spatial structure to children's obesity and quality of life.