Reach and representativeness of ethnic minority women in the Health Is Power Study: a longitudinal analysis.

Reach is a key factor in translating research to practical application. This study examined reach and representativeness of a multi-city, randomized controlled community health trial in African American (AA) and Hispanic or Latina (HL) women. Participants completed measures of demographics, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, resting heart rate, and blood pressure followed by a run-in procedure and a randomization meeting.

Obesogenic and youth oriented restaurant marketing in public housing neighborhoods.

Objectives: To compare restaurant marketing by restaurant and neighborhood type.

Methods: All restaurants (61=fast food, FF; 72=table service, TS) within an 800-meter radius of 13 public housing developments (HD) and 4 comparison neighborhoods were audited using the Restaurant Assessment Tool©2010. HD neighborhoods were lower income and higher minority than comparison neighborhoods with similar density and street connectivity.

Mediating effects of group cohesion on physical activity and diet in women of color: health is power.

Purpose: To determine the effects and mediating factors of a physical activity (PA) or vegetable and fruit (VF) group cohesion intervention.

Design: Longitudinal design.

Setting: Harris County and Travis County, Texas.

Body image and physical activity among Latina and African American women.

Objectives: Obesity in African American (AA) and Hispanic or Latina (HL) women has been partly attributed to low physical activity (PA) and cultural influences on body image. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among body mass index (BMl=kg/m2), body image perception (perceived and desired) and PA.

Design: The current study is a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of the Health Is Power (HIP) project (1R01CA109403).

Improving participation rates for women of color in health research: the role of group cohesion.

Adherence to physical activity and dietary interventions is a common challenge. Interventions that use group cohesion strategies show promise for increasing adherence, but have not been tested among women of color. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dimensions of group cohesion mediate the association between intervention condition and attendance within a community physical activity program for women of color.

Health is Power: an ecological, theory-based health intervention for women of color.

Objective: Physical inactivity and poor dietary habits plague Americans as health challenges, with women of color most vulnerable to their detrimental effects. Individually focused interventions have not demonstrated lasting success, possibly due to the lack of focus on sustainable social and physical environment factors. This manuscript describes the rationale, design and methodology of Health Is Power (HIP), a transcultural, community based, randomized controlled trial that investigated the effectiveness of a group cohesion intervention to increase physical activity and improve dietary habits in African American and Hispanic or Latina women in Houston and Austin, Texas.

Multiple measures of physical activity, dietary habits and weight status in African American and Hispanic or Latina women.

Compared measures of physical activity and dietary habits used in the Health Is Power (HIP) study, and described the associations of physical activity and dietary habits among African American and Hispanic or Latino women, adjusted for weight status. Cross-sectional baseline data were compared for community dwelling, healthy African American (N = 262) and Hispanic or Latina women (N = 148) who participated in HIP. Physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) long form, the Check And Line Questionnaire (CALQ) log and accelerometry.

A picture of the healthful food environment in two diverse urban cities.

Background: Local food environments influence fresh produce purchase and consumption, and previous research has found disparities in local food environments by income and ethnicity. Other existing studies have begun to quantify the distribution of food sources, but there has been limited attention to important features or types of healthful food that are available or their quality or cost. Two studies assessed the type, quantity, quality and cost of healthful food from two diverse urban cities, Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri and Honolulu, Hawaii, and evaluated differences by neighborhood income and ethnic composition.

How does the built environment relate to body mass index and obesity prevalence among public housing residents?

Purpose: This study examined associations of environmental variables with obesity prevalence and individual body mass index (BMI) among impoverished residents of public housing developments.

Design: Cross-sectional data were drawn from two studies in the same Midwestern metropolitan area of participants within neighborhoods.

Setting: Pathways to Health interviewed housing development residents and Understanding Neighborhood Determinants of Obesity assessed built environment factors in the surrounding neighborhoods (i.

Physical access in urban public housing facilities.

Background: public housing facilities play an important role in housing individuals with physical disabilities, including older adults, who are unable to afford private housing. This study assessed general features of physical access in the common use areas of 14 federally subsidized, urban public housing facilities.

Methods: fourteen public housing facilities were assessed by trained field assessors for 6 features of accessibility.

Associations between the built environment and physical activity in public housing residents.

Background: Environmental factors may influence the particularly low rates of physical activity in African American and low-income adults. This cross-sectional study investigated how measured environmental factors were related to self-reported walking and vigorous physical activity for residents of low-income public housing developments.

Methods: Physical activity data from 452 adult residents residing in 12 low-income housing developments were combined with measured environmental data that examined the neighborhood (800 m radius buffer) around each housing development.

The Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) instrument: evaluating features, amenities and incivilities of physical activity resources in urban neighborhoods.

Background: Neighborhood environment factors may influence physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to develop and test a brief instrument to systematically document and describe the type, features, amenities, quality and incivilities of a variety of PA resources.

Method: The one-page Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) instrument was developed to assess all publicly available PA resources in thirteen urban lower income, high ethnic minority concentration neighborhoods that surrounded public housing developments (HDs) and four higher income, low ethnic minority concentration comparison neighborhoods.