Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Dec;37(6):495-500.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.08.023.

A culturally adapted physical activity intervention for Latinas: a randomized controlled trial

Dorothy W Pekmezi  1 , Charles J Neighbors, Christina S Lee, Kim M Gans, Beth C Bock, Kathleen M Morrow, Becky Marquez, Shira Dunsiger, Bess H Marcus
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A culturally adapted physical activity intervention for Latinas: a randomized controlled trial

Dorothy W Pekmezi et al. Am J Prev Med. 2009 Dec.

Abstract

Background: In the U.S., Latinos report particularly high levels of inactivity and related chronic illnesses and are in need of intervention. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to culturally and linguistically adapt an empirically supported, individually tailored physical activity print intervention for Latinos and then conduct an RCT of the modified program.

Design: An RCT was conducted.

Setting/participants: The sample included 93 overweight/obese (80%) Latinas with low income and acculturation.

Intervention: Data were collected in 2007-2008 and analyzed by intent-to-treat in 2009. Participants were randomly assigned to either (1) a culturally and linguistically adapted physical activity intervention (Seamos Activas) or (2) a wellness contact control condition.

Main outcome measures: Self-report physical activity, as measured pre- and post-intervention (6 months, 87% retention) by the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall.

Results: Moderate-intensity (or greater) physical activity increased from an average of 16.56 minutes/week (SD=25.76) at baseline to 147.27 (SD=241.55) at 6 months in the intervention arm (n=45), and from 11.88 minutes/week (SD=21.99) to 96.79 (SD=118.49) in the wellness contact control arm (n=48). No between-group differences were seen in overall physical activity. Intervention participants reported significantly greater increases in cognitive (F[1, 91]=9.53, p=0.003) and behavioral processes of change (F[1, 91]=8.37, p=0.005) and available physical activity supplies and equipment at home (F[1, 91]=4.17, p=0.04) than control participants.

Conclusions: Results supported the hypothesized feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of individually tailored physical activity print interventions among Latinas. Although more research is needed to corroborate these findings, such high-reach, low-cost approaches have great potential to positively affect public health.

Trial registration: NCT00724165.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort Diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. USDHHS. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: USDHHS; 2008.
    1. National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2007, with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Hyattsville; MD: 2007. - PubMed
    1. Neighbors CJ, Marquez DX, Marcus BH. Leisure-time physical activity disparities among Hispanic subgroups in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2008 Aug;98(8):1460–1464. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pichon LC, Arredondo EM, Roesch S, Sallis JF, Ayala GX, Elder JP. The relation of acculturation to Latinas’ perceived neighborhood safety and physical activity: a structural equation analysis. Ann Behav Med. 2007 Nov–Dec;34(3):295–303. - PubMed
    1. Lopez-Ibor JJ, Lopez-Ibor MI, Mendez MA, et al. The perception of emotion-free faces in schizophrenia: a magneto-encephalography study. Schizophr Res. 2008 Jan;98(1–3):278–286. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data