Barriers and Motivators to Physical Activity among African American Women

The goals of the study were to identify the barriers and motivators for physical activity (PA) and to assess whether these factors vary by weight status. A self-administered survey was completed by 413 African American women. Each woman provided verbal informed consent and was weighed and measured by a research team member. The participants' mean BMI was 29.60 ± 7.57. Women reported low levels of moderate vigorous PA in the past week--with zero days (46%), one to two days (28%), three to four days (18%), and five to seven days (8%). Women selected "all that apply" from nine potential barriers and five potential motivators to PA. Women with higher BMI were significantly more likely to report expensive gym membership (P<0.001) and no one to exercise with (P<0.001) as barriers. Women with lower BMI were significantly more likely to report that exercise was not a priority (P<0.001). Women with higher BMI were significantly more likely to report a desire to lose weight as a motivator (P<0.001). There were no other significant variables. The findings suggest that a public health challenge persists to engage African American women of all weight status in regular PA.