Social Support and Physical Activity Among American Indians in Oklahoma: Results From a Community-based Participatory Research Study

Community-Based Interventions to Address Disparities in Cardiometabolic Diseases Among Minoritized Racial and Ethnic Groups

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are leading causes of death and disproportionally impact historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The American Heart Association developed the Life's Essential 8 (LE8) to promote optimal cardiovascular health (CVH) through eight health behaviors and health factors. The purpose of this review is to summarize contemporary community-engaged research (CER) studies incorporating the LE8 framework among racial/ethnic groups.

REVIEW OF FINDINGS

Limited studies focused on the interface of CER and LE8. Based on synthesis of articles in this review, the application of CER to individual/collective LE8 metrics may improve CVH and reduce CMDs at the population level. Effective strategies include integration of technology, group activities, cultural/faith-based practices, social support, and structural/environmental changes. CER studies addressing LE8 factors in racial/ethnic groups play an essential role in improving CVH. Future studies should focus on broader scalability and health policy interventions to advance health equity.

Community-Based Participatory Research to Improve Cardiovascular Health Among US Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups

Purpose of Review

This review aims to assess the contemporary community-based participatory research (CBPR) literature seeking to improve the cardiovascular health of racial and ethnic minority groups in the USA with a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors and social determinants of health. It summarizes recent CBPR studies based on the American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 (LS7) framework, delineating seven modifiable health behaviors and clinical factors to promote cardiovascular health.

Recent Findings

Although limited in quantity, studies demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in improving individual and a composite of LS7 indicators by employing strategies centered around fortifying social networks, integrating group activities, leveraging technology, incorporating faith-based and spiritual practices, and implementing changes to the built environment.

Summary

Future directions for investigators engaged in CBPR include building on the existing body of evidence through more comprehensive studies, scaling effective interventions, and translating CBPR findings to influence health policy to better address health disparities.

A Scoping Review of the Use of Indigenous Food Sovereignty Principles for Intervention and Future Directions

Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) represents a community-led movement with potential to reduce health inequities, but no scoping review of the impact of taking an IFS approach on intervention research has been conducted. This review sought to: 1) describe intervention studies that employ IFS principles, and 2) describe the impact of studies using IFS principles on food access, eating patterns, diet quality, physical activity, and health. Through a literature review, 4 IFS principles were identified: 1) community ownership, 2) inclusion of traditional food knowledge, 3) inclusion and promotion of cultural foods, and 4) environmental/intervention sustainability. Twenty intervention studies published between January 1, 2000 and February 5, 2020 were included. Most of the studies that scored high in IFS principles saw a positive impact on diet. This review found evidence supporting the value of IFS principles in the development, implementation, and evaluation of health interventions for Indigenous communities.

Review of Ecological Approach Factors Affecting Physical Activity among Older People

This review aimed to investigate factors affecting physical activity among older people at the individual, social, and environmental levels based on an ecological approach. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Korean databases to identify all relevant studies that examined physical activity of older people using an ecological approach. Individual factors included socio-demographic characteristics, physical function components, and subjective health perceptions. Social factors included intimate relationships and social support. Environmental factors included physical living conditions, movement-related components, and policies and programs that affect the environment. This review analyzed the factors affecting physical activity of older people in three levels based on the ecological approach. This result provides a basis for managing, preventing, and promoting physical activity in older people based on an ecological approach and highlights the importance of environmental factors for improving physical activity among older people when applying foundational data for health prevention and management.

The Influence of Social Support on Physical Activity in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Exercise Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of social support and self-efficacy with physical Activity (PA) and the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between social support and PA in Chinese adolescents. Participants included a total of 2341 Chinese adolescents (aged 12.75 ± 1.46 years). Self-reported instruments, including the physical activity questionnaire for adolescents, the social support revalued scale and the exercise self-efficacy scale, were used to measure physical activity, social support and exercise self-efficacy. Results showed that social support (r = 0.29, p < 0.05) and exercise self-efficacy (r = 0.43, p < 0.05) were significant and positive predictors of PA among Chinese adolescents, and exercise self-efficacy was a significant mediator in the relationship between social support and PA (standardized effect size = 0.15, p < 0.001). Such findings were evident with similar patterns in both male and female adolescents. The findings of this study have indicated the importance of social support and exercise self-efficacy on PA promotion in adolescents, which will aid the development of effective interventions in this population.

Development and evaluation of a physical activity intervention informed by participatory research- a feasibility study

Background

Despite numerous interventions aiming to improve physical activity in socially disadvantaged populations, physical inactivity remains to be a rising challenge to public health globally, as well as, in Sweden. In an effort to address this challenge, a community-based participatory intervention was developed through active community engagement and implemented in a socially disadvantaged neighborhood in Sweden. The current study aims to present the development and initial evaluation of a participatory research driven physical activity intervention.

Methods

Fifteen participants (11 females and 4 males) aged 17–59 years volunteered to participate in the physical activity intervention program. The intervention program was evaluated using a longitudinal mixed methods design measuring health impact changes over time through focus group discussions and quality of life surveys. Further additional biomedical health parameters such as levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, blood pressure, levels of oxygen saturation and body mass index were monitored before and after the intervention. Focus group data were analyzed using content analysis with an inductive approach. The pre-and post-test scores from the survey-based quality of life domains, as well as the health parameters were compared using non-parametric and parametric statistics.

Results

Four themes emerged from the analysis of the focus group discussions including sense of fellowship, striving for inclusion and equity, changing the learner perspective and health beyond illness. The scores for the domains Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relationships and Health Satisfaction where significantly higher after participation in the physical activity intervention program compared to the pre-test scores (p < .05)s. There were however, no significant changes in the scores for the environmental domain and overall quality of life after intervention compared to that prior to intervention start. Overall, the biomedical health parameters remained stable within the normal ranges during intervention.

Conclusion

The focus group discussions and results from the surveys and biomedical measures reveal important findings to understand and further develop the intervention program to promote health equity among citizens in disadvantaged areas. Evaluating the feasibility of such an intervention using multiple approaches contributes to effective implementation of it for larger communities in need.