Adapting evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity among African Americans, Hispanics, Hmong, and Native Hawaiians: a social marketing approach.
BACKGROUND
Using a social marketing approach, we studied how best to adapt proven, evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity for use with underserved racial or ethnic groups.


METHODS
We conducted focus groups with low-income Hispanic women in Texas, Hmong parents and their children in California, low-income African American women and men in the Mississippi Delta, and Native Hawaiian college students in Hawaii. We also interviewed key leaders of these communities. Topics of discussion were participants' perceptions about 1) the benefits of engaging in physical activity, 2) the proposed evidence-based strategies for increasing each community's level of physical activity, and 3) the benefits and barriers to following the proposed interventions for increasing physical activity. A total of 292 individuals participated in the study.


RESULTS
All groups considered that being physically active was part of their culture, and participants found culturally relevant suggestions for physical activities appealing. Overwhelmingly, strategies that aimed to create or improve social support and increase access to physical activity venues received the most positive feedback from all groups. Barriers to physical activity were not culturally specific; they are common to all underserved people (lack of time, transportation, access, neighborhood safety, or economic resources).


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity need to be adapted for cultural relevance for each racial or ethnic group. Our research shows that members of four underserved populations are likely to respond to strategies that increase social support for physical activity and improve access to venues where they can be physically active. Further research is needed to test how to implement such strategies in ways that are embraced by community members.
Van Duyn
Mary Ann S
MA
National Cancer Institute, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, 6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 602, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. vanduynm@mail.nih.gov
McCrae
Tarsha
T
Wingrove
Barbara K
BK
Henderson
Kimberly M
KM
Boyd
Jamie K
JK
Kagawa-Singer
Marjorie
M
Ramirez
Amelie G
AG
Scarinci-Searles
Isabel
I
Wolff
Lisa S
LS
Penalosa
Tricia L
TL
Maibach
Edward W
EW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian; D002648:Child; D003256:Community Participation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D020793:Gatekeeping; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D040241:Social Marketing; D014481:United States