The influence of marianismo beliefs on physical activity of immigrant Latinas.

Purpose: To verify and explicate the impact of marianismo beliefs on the physical activity behaviors of immigrant Latinas.

Design: Twenty-eight immigrant Latinas, aged 18 to 40 years, were recruited to participate in two focus group interviews. Data collection and analysis were driven by Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence.

Results: Two domain terms were identified: "Life is too fast here" and "The woman is the center of the family." Six included terms and five cultural themes were specified.

Discussion: A combination of marianismo beliefs, acculturation stress, loss of social support, and conflicts between collectivist and individualist values combine to adversely influence physical activity behaviors of immigrant Latinas.

Implications: Physical activity interventions for Hispanic women should capitalize on the strengths of the marianista, address factors leading to acculturation stress among women and their families, and establish bridges of social support among new groups of immigrants.