Changes in steps per day over the course of a pilot walking intervention.
The objective of this study is to explicate changes in steps per day observed over the course of a pilot study concerned with promoting walking. A pre/post single group design was used to evaluate a 12-month group intervention with 6-month follow-up with a sample of twenty-one sedentary, hypertensive African American women 25-68 years of age. A 3-hour monthly meeting was paired with an at-home walking component. Results indicated that the total group experienced a slight increase (5%) in mean steps per day at the end of the 12-month intervention, while a subgroup experienced a 13% decrease. However, mean steps per day increased from baseline to 6-month follow-up for both groups. Mean steps per day increased from 3857 to 5582 (37%) for total group and from 4659 to 7038 (51%) for the subgroup.


CONCLUSIONS
A group intervention can have a positive impact on promoting walking among African American women; however, multi-phased interventions may be necessary to assist this population meet current physical activity recommendations.
Banks-Wallace
JoAnne
J
Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Columbia, 65211, USA. banks-wallacej@missouri.edu
Conn
Vicki
V
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*