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Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and changes over time of ideal Life's Simple Seven (LSS) in African-Americans., Methods: Prospective cohort of 5301 African-Americans from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) from 2000 to 2013. Each of the LSS metrics was categorized as poor, intermediate, or ideal., Results: Among men, the prevalence of having 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 ideal LSS was 3.3%, 23.0%, 33.5%, 24.7%, 11.6%, 3.6%, 0.3%, and 0%, respectively. Corresponding values for women were 1.7%, 26.3%, 33.1%, 22.8%, 11.9%, 3.7%, 0.6%, and 0%. Prevalence of ideal diet was 0.9%. The proportions of those meeting LSS ideal recommendations for cholesterol and fasting glucose declined from the first through third JHS visits across all age groups, whereas prevalence of ideal BMI declined only in participants <40 years at a given visit. Prevalence of ideal blood pressure did not change over time and being ideal on physical activity improved from the first [18.3% (95% CI: 17.3% to 19.3%)] to third visit [24.8% (95% CI: 23.3% to 26.3%)]., Conclusions: Our data show a low prevalence of ideal LSS (especially diet, physical activity, and obesity) in the JHS and a slight improvement in adherence to physical activity recommendations over time., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: Obesity rates have risen sharply in the United States, with minority women among those most affected. Although a majority of Americans are considered inactive, little attention has been devoted to studying the correlation of sedentary behavior with dietary cravings in adults., Objective: The current study used objective and self-report methods to measure sedentary behavior and its relationship to food cravings in a sample of overweight African American and Caucasian women., Design: Thirty-nine adult women (54% African American) with an average body mass index of 33.7 wore accelerometers for one week and completed self-report measures of sedentary behavior, physical activity, and food cravings., Results: Self-reported television viewing time was slightly longer (3.0 versus 2.5 hours), although total sedentary time was shorter (6.7 versus 8.0 hours) on weekends versus weekdays. Weekend but not weekday sedentary time and television viewing were associated with stable aspects of food cravings rather than craving for specific foods., Conclusion: In this small sample, only a third of all sedentary time was attributed to viewing television. Assessing whether sedentary behavior occurs by necessity versus choice may be a factor to consider in examining its relationship to food cravings.

Background: This study investigated the number of pedometer assessment occasions required to establish habitual physical activity in African American adults., Methods: African American adults (mean age 59.9 ± 0.60 years; 59 % female) enrolled in the Diet and Physical Activity Substudy of the Jackson Heart Study wore Yamax pedometers during 3-day monitoring periods, assessed on two to three distinct occasions, each separated by approximately one month. The stability of pedometer measured PA was described as differences in mean steps/day across time, as intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) by sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) category, and as percent of participants changing steps/day quartiles across time., Results: Valid data were obtained for 270 participants on either two or three different assessment occasions. Mean steps/day were not significantly different across assessment occasions (p values > 0.456). The overall ICCs for steps/day assessed on either two or three occasions were 0.57 and 0.76, respectively. In addition, 85 % (two assessment occasions) and 76 % (three assessment occasions) of all participants remained in the same steps/day quartile or changed one quartile over time., Conclusion: The current study shows that an overall mean steps/day estimate based on a 3-day monitoring period did not differ significantly over 4 - 6 months. The findings were robust to differences in sex, age, and BMI categories. A single 3-day monitoring period is sufficient to capture habitual physical activity in African American adults.

There are several lines of evidence that suggest religiosity and spirituality are protective factors for both physical and mental health, but the association with obesity is less clear. This study examined the associations between dimensions of religiosity and spirituality (religious attendance, daily spirituality, and private prayer), health behaviors and weight among African Americans in central Mississippi. Jackson Heart Study participants with complete data on religious attendance, private prayer, daily spirituality, caloric intake, physical activity, depression, and social support (n = 2,378) were included. Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured. We observed no significant association between religiosity, spirituality, and weight. The relationship between religiosity/spirituality and obesity was not moderated by demographic variables, psychosocial variables, or health behaviors. However, greater religiosity and spirituality were related to lower energy intake, less alcohol use, and less likelihood of lifetime smoking. Although religious participation and spirituality were not cross-sectionally related to weight among African Americans, religiosity and spirituality might promote certain health behaviors. The association between religion and spirituality and weight gain deserves further investigation in studies with a longitudinal study design.

In this review, our first purpose is to provide an overview of existing physical activity intervention research, focusing on subpopulations and intervention modalities. Our reviews within each area are not exhaustive or quantitative, as each area has been reviewed in more depth in numerous other reports. Instead, our goal is to provide a single document that provides a qualitative overview of intervention research that emphasizes selected topics of particular importance for improving the population-wide impact of interventions. Therefore, in synthesizing this vast literature, we begin with existing reviews of physical activity research in each area and incorporate in our discussions recent reports of well-designed individual physical activity intervention studies that expand the existing research base and/or target new areas of research. Our second purpose is to offer new ideas and recommendations to improve the state of the science within each area and, where possible, to propose ideas to help bridge the gaps between these existing categories of research.

Health status is acknowledged by nursing theory as a factor in the probability of health behavior changes. Yet few studies have addressed the health-related barriers encountered by chronically ill elderly patients in primary care clinics who are trying to increase their physical activity. This study used self- and interviewer-administered instruments to assess potential barriers to physical activity in a sample of 60- to 80-year-old patients entering a walking program. Pain, fatigue, and mobility and sensory impairments were prevalent and could be significant barriers to participation. The authors present specific suggestions for helping patients overcome these barriers.

The many benefits of participation in regular moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity are well established, yet more than 60% of the population is sedentary or insufficiently active. Published studies have revealed that behavior modification and cognitive-behavior modification can be successfully used to assist patients, healthy adults, and youth in the adoption of physically active lifestyles. However, few studies with adults and youth have examined the maintenance of physical activity behavior beyond 6 months of adoption of this behavior. Maintenance of physical activity is critically important because ongoing participation in the behavior is necessary to sustain health benefits. Knowledge of effective intervention strategies for long-term maintenance of physical activity is at an early stage. The authors provide a summary of what is known about the maintenance of physical activity behavior in adults and youth and how physical activity behavior relates to other health behaviors such as smoking, as well as recommendations for research on physical activity behavior change and maintenance.

Research on the preventive and rehabilitative applications of exercise and literature on exercise adherence from the past 10 years are briefly reviewed. Although there is now substantial evidence that a low level of physical activity is associated with decreased life expectancy for both men and women and contributes independently to the development of many prevalent chronic diseases, most adults and children lead sedentary lives. Recent intervention studies suggest exercise adherence can be improved in a variety of populations. Researchers in the next decade should continue to elaborate the population- and disease-specific effects of physical activity and exercise and give priority to the problem of exercise adherence, which limits the effectiveness of exercise interventions and remains a significant challenge to behavioral medicine.