title: Individual, social, and environmental barriers to and facilitators of physical activity among Latinas living in San Diego County: focus group results.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to and facilitators of physical activity (PA) relevant to a faith-based community living in a border region. Two focus groups were conducted with 25 Latina churchgoers. Latinas identified barriers to PA that included individual (eg, lack of motivation and time, language, economics, social support, family/household responsibilities), sociocultural (eg, fear of border patrol, machismo, and neighborhood safety), and environmental barriers (eg, traffic-related and dogs). Facilitators of PA were PA knowledge, child care, time management, and advocacy skills. The authors concluded that a church-based multilevel intervention targeting Latinas may be ideal for promoting PA and facilitating environmental changes.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif, USA. smartinez@projects.sdsu.edu
authors.forename: Suzanna M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Elva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Arredondo
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baquero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D017058:Mexican Americans; D009042:Motivation; D012067:Religion; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors