Investigators seek to develop and test worksite interventions designed: a) to increase physical activity among employed African American women; b) thereby to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities; and c) to address two of the seven CDC Health Protection Research Initiative priorities: """"""""1) identification of the determinants of successful implementation and dissemination of evidence-based health promotion [in this study, a test of the Dishman/Simpson Adherence Model of Exercise (AME)]; and 2) identification of the determinants of successful translation of evidence-based health promotion interventions to special employee populations to reduce health disparities [African American women employed at Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH), Atlanta, GA]."""""""" GMH administration is highly supportive of this potentially sustainable approach to improved worksite health. Specific hypotheses, suggested by pilot data with GMH employees, and based on the AME theory are: 1) current physical activity, as measured by Average Daily Steps (ADS), is a function of levels of influence and self-efficacy; 2) an increase over time in ADS is associated with increased selfefficacy over time; 3) increased ADS is associated with improved cardiorespiratory risk factors. 300 participants with <7,000 ADS at baseline will enroll in """"""""Eyes on the PRISE,"""""""" a novel, evidence-based workplace intervention. PRISE is an acronym for Preps-reducing personal barriers at the initiation of a new program and identifying workplace activity opportunities; Reps-home-based, graduated weight training with free weights; Increased Steps-setting and adhering to modest, meaningful, incremental goals over a 6-month intervention; and Encouragement with systematic, personalized feedback. Selected components of the intervention have been developed in an ongoing pilot study among GMH employees, and these women will continue to provide important, culturally-relevant feedback for refinement of the intervention. The interdisciplinary research team from Emory College and Medical, Nursing, and Public Health faculties is headed by a senior epidemiologist with extensive experience in health promotion research and includes experts in physical fitness, cardiovascular health, medicine, behavioral sciences, and biostatistics.
| Gaydos, Laura M; Pullen, Paula R; Hogue, Carol J R et al. (2011) Calculated metabolic equivalents: a tool for exercise prescription among African American women. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 20:1151-5 |
